The Pointe

You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
                                                                      James 5:3

Money isn’t necessarily bad. Nowhere in the Bible does it tell you and me that it is bad to have money. When we depend on that money rather than God; when that money has us, then we get into some serious trouble.

In today’s verse, James warns us about that same idea. Here, James gives us a wealth warning: stop hoarding. The Bible is not anti-investing or anti-saving. God expects us to be good stewards, to save, invest and enjoy the fruits of his blessings.

Hoarding is completely different. The word “hoard” comes from a word which means “to hide.” When we hoard stuff, we are hiding it. We hide it from others by refusing to be generous or caring. We don’t utilize what God has blessed us with to help others.

We even try to hide it from God. And we fail to recognize a powerful reality of material possessions: we don’t actually own anything. We are simply managers of what God has given to us.

So when it comes to wealth and material possessions, there’s an important question you need to ask yourself. Do I want more just to have more? Or do I want more so that I can do more for the kingdom of God?

Because when you answer that question, then you’ll begin to recognize the real potential and power of money.

…pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
                       James 5:16

It is easy for me to pray for my wife. I have no problem remembering to pray for my children. I have no difficulty praying for my friends. I want each of them to experience all that God has in store for them; I want them to be protected; and I want them to grow in their faith. So I pray for them. And I trust God to hear my prayers and answer them in his own time. However, it’s not as easy to pray for people I don’t know.

Life is busy. And because of that, we all prioritize our days. We also prioritize our prayers. When we take time to pray, many of us focus on those we know and love. But how often do we remember to pray for those people we’ll never meet, those we’ll never see?

The writer in this text tells us that when we pray for one another, our prayers are powerful and effective. That power and effect can stretch far beyond our circle of family and friends.

When you pray; pray for other believers. Pray for the leaders in our government and teachers in our schools. Pray for people you don’t know. Pray for those people you’ll never meet. Because as you pray for them, just as you pray for those who are close to you, God will hear your prayers. And he will answer them in his time, because your prayers are powerful and effective.

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.James 5:13

When you think of prayer, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For many people, prayer is simply a way of communicating their needs to God. During times of trouble, they turn to God through prayer. They seek his help. And there’s nothing wrong with that. James here reminds us that the first action we should take when we face adversity or trouble is pray. But that’s not the only time or place for prayer.

Prayer is communication with God. If I only communicated with my wife, Yolanda, when I wanted something from her or needed her help, I’d be robbing both of us of the intimate connection that our marriage is to be based on. For our relationship to grow, I need to tell her what I appreciate about her, how much she means to me and what I find attractive about her.

Don’t neglect your relationship with God by only talking with him when you’re in trouble. Instead, pray in every situation—good and bad.

God wants an intimate relationship with you. Don’t rob that relationship of its potential. Instead, share with God everything that is on your heart. Thank him, share with him and communicate with him during every circumstance you face. Because as you do, you will discover the real potential in your relationship with God.

But he gives more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God… Come near to God and he will come near to you.James 4:6-8

When you drill down nearly every emotional, relational and spiritual struggle in our lives, you’ll come to one root cause: pride. We all have the tendency to want to be in charge. We want to be our own god, to call the shots. But control is far from ours, no matter how much we may want it.

The Bible tells us that God opposes the proud. So when pride causes you and me to attempt to wrestle the reins of life from God, we end up facing some major opposition.

To get back to a place of peace with God, James tells us to place ourselves in a position of submission. In this context, the word “submit” is a military term. It conveys the idea that we need to get under God’s plan in our lives. He is the one who is in control; he’s set forth the battle strategy. And when we submit to his plan, rather than trying to follow our own, we discover the real victory in life.

Don’t go through life trying to forge your own path. Instead, willingly fall under God’s plan for your life, submit to him and discover what it truly means to have peace that lasts!