Being Patient Series

Money can also say things about us. Indeed the way we use our money says a significant amount about the sort of people we are – and the sort of people we want to be. It comes about because of the temptation of money. But at what cost?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Sometimes money and wealth can become our focus and our goal. We spend our lives seeking money. We acquire all the money we can. We store it up. We use it for ourselves. Instead of God being our security money is our security. It can become a trap of spiritual distraction. You don’t need to have a lot of wealth to fall into this trap – even a small amount of money can make you have this attitude.

The warning from James here is clear. Money talks … just make sure you don’t listen to it.

There are too many people who allow money to talk … and it creates many situations of oppression. We don’t want to be the cause of oppression do we?

Of course not … so let’s make sure we don’t.

Now that brings us to the next part of this passage … where we admit that we are people who do face oppression … and that oppression brings its own set of challenges.

James gets us to think about these challenges by confronting us with this question

How are we going to act when faced with oppression?

Look at the oppression faced by those in the days of James. You would think that, in the face of such terrible oppression, where justice has gone completely haywire that God would say, “Go out and fight against it”. But that is not the outcome is it. In fact James says something quite the opposite.

The Right Response To Oppression – Patiently Keep The End In Sight

James makes a judgement against the oppressors in verses 1-6, but he never calls for the church to go on a vendetta or to seek retaliation. Instead he says, “Be patient … until the Lord’s coming”. That’s a long time to be patient isn’t it? And if you didn’t know better it could be interpreted that James is saying, “When you face oppression just put up and shut up and wait for Jesus to come back”.

That is how it could be interpreted – but it isn’t what James wants us to do. We know this is the case because of the farming example that he uses.

The farmer sows the seeds when the season is right. If he plants before the autumn rains the ground is too hard. Once the crop has been planted the farmer must again wait for the spring rain. This rain encourages the crop to ripen so it can be harvested. The farmer has no control over these things. There is no point becoming disheartened and angry by the situation.

But does that mean he will sit around and do nothing while the crop grows? Of course not. He will pull out weeds. He will mend fences. He will drive away birds and rabbits. He will tend the fields. There are some things that he can do that will cause change. And there are some things that he cannot change no matter what he does.