The Price of the Wrong Focus
Updated: Apr 1, 2020
James 2:5-7
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you were a millionaire or even a billionaire? It is interesting how focused we are on money as a society. Yes, we need money for our necessities, but usually our lack of money was not caused by seeking our necessities, but our desires. James is speaking here of the human tendency of favoring the rich over the poor. God works so that He gets the glory. When wealthy people do good things through their abundance, we are likely to give them the credit. But when God uses someone who has no abundance or ability to do good things, it is recognized as miraculous, and we are more likely to give God the glory. James is warning believers to focus on the people and not their possessions. Every soul is of great value to God.
The value of money is sometimes transferred to those who have it, or not. Those who have great wealth are often valued more than those who have none. Maybe, this is because we think a wealthy person may bless us more easily than a poor person. Maybe they would give us some of their money or wealth. Maybe they won’t require anything from us. Our value does not come from our wealth; our value comes from the fact that we are made by God and in God’s image. Financial blessings are good, but spiritual blessings are better. I would guess that more people have asked God for an abundance of money than those who have asked God to be soul winners.
Billy Graham was an incredible man of God who won many souls, but his constant prayer was to be a better soul winner. He understood where the real treasure was. Psalm 119:37 says, “37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.” Matthew 6:19-21 says, “19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Money is not the goal. It is a tool by which we purchase things and bless others. “Treasures in heaven” are the lives and souls we impact for God. We must begin by giving our own soul to God, and then dedicating everything else we have and do on this side of heaven to winning souls for Christ.
Christians must make God and godly living our priority. Matthew 6:33 says, “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This verse follows a teaching of Jesus about not worrying. Worrying is an absolute waste of time, but that doesn’t stop us from doing it. If we are seeking God before we seek anything else, our worries would greatly diminish. When we apply Biblical principles to our lives our worries diminish even more. We would seek the lost in all we do. We would work at our jobs like we were working for God Himself. We would develop Godly character so that we could change the world for the better. Please pray that God makes us all better soul winners.
God Bless you in all you do,
Pastor Rob.
