You are the Culprit

Every morning we wake up in a warm bed, with a roof over our heads inside a two-story house. We get up, stretch, and take a shower with hot water. Next, we go and pick out our clothes. Maybe a T-shirt from Aeropostale with some jeans from Abercrombie and Fitch. After that, we go downstairs and get some breakfast. Some Frosted Flakes with milk, bacon and eggs, orange juice, the works. At school, we text our friends (even though we’re not supposed to), we plug into our iPods, eat our hot lunches, chill with friends, all the while receiving top-notch education. After school we come home, watch some TV, talk to friends on Facebook on our computers, eat dinner, play PS3. Then we go back to the warm bed, thanking God for another normal day, certain about the comforts of tomorrow. Some of us drive cars, some of us get allowances; we have hobbies, laptops, snacks, sidewalk, TV’s, leather-bound Bibles, debit cards, toilets, you name it. In America the word “rich” has been augmented to connotate Bill Gates wealth or Warren Buffet or the MegaMillions Lottery. In reality, however, what we have is beyond rich in James’ eyes. And boy, does he have something to say to us.

Read James 5:1-6

Scared yet? Don’t worry, I am too. We cannot worship God and wealth at the same time. In other words, we cannot worship God and our very lifestyle at the same time. Something has to give. Personally I find this a very daunting prospect. Ideally, we should give up everything we have and live with what God provides for us. But we can’t do that, because we are Americans and we are humans. So what do we do? Well, don’t get too comfortable because everything we store on Earth will not only be lost in the next life, but will “testify against [us] and eat [our] flesh like fire.” I’d like you to spend some time with God, and ask Him to keep your heart away from the things of this world. Pray that you would not get attached to the comforts of our American lifestyles, and that you will trust in Him to provide for you, because if God provides for the birds of the air and the fish in the sea, then He sure as shooting can provide for you too. The hardest thing to do in life is to let go of what makes us comfortable. But these things are holding us down, when we are looking upwards. Cast away your unnecessary comforts and care for those who are naked and need clothing, for those who are thirsty and need drink, for those who have Jesus knocking on their doors and need someone, anyone, to tell them that it’s the real deal standing out in the cold rain, and it’s time to let Him in.

Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for WCAC’s Board of Elders and Board of Ministries as they continue to serve the church