Seek First the Kingdom of God
James 5:2 - 3, Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. (NKJV)
In this epistle of practical Christian living James addresses several issues that are a struggle for the follower of Christ. God inspires him to speak of trials, the tongue, the danger of faith without works, and, in our text, idolatry.
This passage is not a diatribe against anyone having possessions as there have been many in Scripture and throughout church history that God has blessed with what we would call “wealth.” Rather, this is about the heart of those who worship their achievements over God. In fact, much like the rich young ruler that Jesus addressed in the Gospels, these well to do hold their possessions as God. God’s Word warns them that, “you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter” – a dire warning to all who love the things of this world.
This passage ties in with chapter 1:9 – 11 which states, “Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.” Here is the reversal that we find in The Kingdom of God. It is those who are “poor in spirit” (Mt. 5:3) who will be exalted by God rather than those who are successful in the eyes of the world if their hearts are not right before God.
It is so easy for the disciple of Christ to lose sight of what is important. May we be challenged and convicted by the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” – Dr. Joe Olachea is Senior Pastor of Lakes Community Chapel, Medford, NJ and a regular Freedom Fighter contributor
Compass Pointers: American evangelicals are wealthy, satiated, and at ease. So the appeal of James resounds across the centuries to our ears. We must open our eyes to the Scriptures and our ears to God…Our failure to act, says James, is a sin more grievous than we have imagined. – David Nystrom
Navigation Rules: Level 1: Proverbs 5:21; Level 2: Proverbs 5:15-23
Anchored to the Rock: "Idolatry" is the practice of seeking the source and provision of what we need either physically or emotionally in someone or something other than the one true God. It is the tragically pathetic attempt to squeeze life out of lifeless forms that cannot help us meet our real needs. - Scott Hafemann
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