Love the Poor

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you." James 5:1-6

This is a difficult passage for me, and I think it should be the same for ninety percent of the American population. Why? Because James is specifically addressing the rich. "Come now, you rich." And, as we all know, America is incredibly rich. So perhaps this is a good time for our ears to perk up and hear what James has to say.

"Weep and howl..."

Not looking very promising...

"Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten..."

*Nonchalant Whistling*

"Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire."

Crap.

Is being rich wrong? Nope. Think of King David, I'm betting he wasn't the poorest in town, and yet God had a deep and enduring relationship with him. You don't have to be poor to have a relationship with God, and you don't have to be rich either. Why does James condemn these rich people then? Because of their greed and their fraud. Being rich is indeed a temptation, thus why Jesus says that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (of course all things are possible with God), but being rich is not a sin in itself.

What then must we do? Whether we are rich or poor, glorify God. Do this my living humbly.

1. Take some money out of your budget this month solely for either giving to a good cause or for giving more personally to someone who struggles financially or has given up altogether. Jesus did this, and we need to mirror that.

2. Think of a fun way for you and your friends to go and feed, minister, and love on the needy. Whether it is a shelter or a hospital, many people only think of doing these things and never actually do them.

3. And perhaps most importantly, QUIT JUDGING THE POOR. They are people just like you and me, you would be surprised at the friendships you can make by treating them like real human beings.

Blessings.