rich – Be Still…

Advent Matthew 24:42-44 – Watch

This Advent reading comes from Jesus’ teaching on the future found in Matthew 24:

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Jesus is coming back. He said so himself. Even as we draw closer to the celebration of His first coming, I’m still excited for Jesus’ second coming. Jesus gives us a warning here we should to pay attention to. “Keep watch!” Since we’re not meant to know exactly when he’s coming, being on watch will assure we are not drifting away from God’s loving arms. The not knowing can also make the waiting and watching much harder.

James 5:1-6 – Rich People Beware

Read James 5:1-6

What a gloomy picture of rich people James portrays! While admittedly the description fits nicely for some, there are also plenty of “rich” people who have done very good things for the church and for the world with their wealth. James’ idea of rich people is rather tainted, isn’t it?

I found it interesting that while James harshly calls out rich people here, he doesn’t deliver any sort of direct call to change. He is simply telling them to lament their status before God. “Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.”

James 2:1-13 – Prejudice

Read James 2:1-13

What a topic! Who ever said the Bible was not relevant anymore! We do tend to be judgmental over appearances (I don’t think it’s just me). I’ve heard tell of a pastor who, on his first Sunday in his new church, dressed in tattered clothes and entered the building like every other parishioner. You can imagine the anticipation in church that day was palpable as the people waited to hear the new preacher! What a surprise the congregation had when their pastor came from the shadows where he had been asked to wait and walked up to take his place behind the pulpit. He preached a compelling, wordless sermon that day.

James’ Jewish audience must have needed to hear about the dangers of prejudice. It isn’t a bad reminder for any of us. There has to be a healthy way to associate with people who are different from us. It’s easy to look at people and see them through the lens of some stereotype we’ve learned along the way. What helps me when I’m surrounded by people who look different than me (and in Mexico I am surely the minority) is to remember God loves them as much as he loves me.

James 1:9-18 – Humility

Read James 1:9-18

One of the basic themes of James’ letter is that God exalts the poor and humbles the rich. Why does he do that? It’s so only the humble can boast. Think about that for a second. When we allow God to work in our lives and give God the credit for what we have accomplished, our whole mindset shifts. Who gets the glory? Certainly not us, and rightly so.

Even Paul was clear on this. He told us he was glad to boast about his weaknesses because that showed God at work when he overcame times of adversity. Our text here in James is using the example of being poor and rich. James may be recalling Psalm 49:6 which reads, “They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches.” Think about some wealthy people you know. Do they humble themselves before God and give God the credit for their abundance? Or are they more like the one described by the psalmist?

Proverbs 10:1-10 – Be a Hard Worker

Read Proverbs 10:1-10

Up to this point in our Proverbs’ texts, we have been preparing for this chapter and those to follow. Solomon has a lot to say about being wise and being foolish. We have met Wisdom and her counterpart, Folly. As we move forward in this book, known as wisdom literature, along with Ecclesiastes, we will see examples of wise and foolish actions.

Some of these examples will speak to you and others will not. If you shall read these verses a month from now or at some later date, it is entirely possible that other verses will speak to you. For purposes of my reflection, I will write on those verses that speak to me, and I encourage you to enter into the conversation and share in the comments what verses are speaking to you today.