Title James 5:1 -20
Contents Main text: James 5:1 -20
*** Warning against livestock (verses 1-3)
Wealth is necessary for sustaining life and enjoying life as long as one lives. Anything more than that will rot, eat moth and rust, so it's like useless things, and it can actually harm you. Of course, it is not necessary to save money to prepare for a crisis or to accumulate wealth to expand a business, but believers should be careful not to possess more than necessary. Because when you have more wealth than you need, your trust in God will decrease and your interest in the world will increase that much. I'm not rich, but am I making the same mistakes rich people can make? Aren't there things that I don't use and don't give to others?
*** Counsel against the use of wealth (verses 4-6)
All believers must live with the debt of love. Those who do not pay their due wages, those who are in debt, or those who are not directly in debt, have a responsibility to show love for their neighbor as material. You can never indulge in luxury or pleasure to pay off this moral debt. It is against the will of the Lord to think that I can spend my money as I want, or that I will look back at the situation of others after I have spent as much as I want. Am I not putting off what I owe right now? Do you not pretend to be ignorant when you see the urgent needs of your brothers and sisters around you? Isn't my spending too much in the Lord's eyes these days?
*** The need for patience (vv. 7-11)
For those who live in anticipation of the future, the most necessary thing is to be patient. The most necessary thing in a relationship with people is patience. What people who face various difficulties in life also need patience. Therefore, those who can wait patiently in any circumstance can achieve their goals, gain a good reputation among people, enjoy blessings, and receive great praise and eternal glory when the Lord returns. This counsel is even more valuable in a stressful situation with many tasks and relationships in the complex modern life. Am I annoyed or offended by the little things happening around me? Don't you get excited or frustrated quickly when things don't go well? Are you looking for peace of mind through the fact that the Lord is merciful and merciful?
*** The need for trust (verse 12)
Sometimes people take oaths by using the name of God to emphasize the credibility of their words. This kind of behavior is to use God's name for personal needs, and if you don't do what you say, you're profaning God's name, so be careful. You are responsible for your own words, and if you do not keep it, you must bear the damage caused by it. Do you think that my words or actions are gaining people's trust? In what ways do we need to be careful to gain more trust?
*** The power of prayer (verses 13-18)
No matter what happens, believers must first think about it in relation to God. If you need help from God, you should express it through prayer, and if you need to thank God, you should express it with praise. This does not mean that we should deal with everything personally, but we also need to ask for the help of the church community, that is, the intercession of leaders, and we also need to pray for each other. All problems, whether spiritual or hard, are caused by human weakness, so we need God's help, and people's intercession is necessary to get that help. When a problem arises, we should not only worry about it alone, but give it to God. Also, I should not just try to solve it by praying alone, but I should share the subject of prayer with people who can truly pray for me. The problem should be the subject of prayer, and the subject of prayer should be the subject of the conference. Now, am I praying about what I am thinking and worrying about? Am I discussing my prayers with others?
*** The power of counsel (verses 19-20)
When I see people around me who deviate from the truth in faith, I first feel condemned, but as time goes on, I become indifferent. Actually, that person needs a counsel of love, but it seems that not many people have the time and interest to do so. We must realize that this work is just as important as preaching the gospel to unbelievers. Is there anyone around me who is having religious difficulties right now? What can I do for him?