James 5:1

NIV: Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you

The Message:

And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You'll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you.

What a warning for those who are rich!  But I don't believe this is a warning for those who just happen to have lots of money, big houses, designer clothes and so on.  After all, didn't God bless Abraham with riches?  And look at how Joseph rose to become one of the most important men in Egypt.   It is what you do with the riches you have that count because there is nothing wrong in being rich in itself.

James here is, I think , not talking about those who go and do good with their money, the ones who give freely to charity, do not hoard, but instead take care of their family and help others in need.  No, I reckon he is talking about those who have put their riches and wealth above everything,  the ones who have put their trust in the things of this earth - the money, the position, the fame, the success and so on - rather than the things are of God.   He is referring to those to whom money is the be all and end all of life, the most important thing to them.

But it is not only money that we do this with.  What about those people whom we idolise, the ones we spend so much time thinking about, dreaming about, that life holds no meaning if we cannot have them in our lives?  What about the pop stars, actors, actresses whose lives we avidly follow, reading every snippet of information we can about them?  Then there are the reality TV programmes where we tune in every night to see who is evicted from the house, the jungle or wherever, who goes through to the next round, and so on.  At the end of the day they are just people like you and I, yet we endow them with so many special characteristics just because they are on the television, film or stage.

I reckon we each need to take a good long look at our lives every so often, to see exactly who or what we are making our priority.  Are we putting God first and foremost, giving him the praise and glory, turning to Him when things go wrong and giving Him the praise no matter what is going on in our lives?  Or are we putting others first, or our jobs, our bank balances, our family, browsing on the internet, spending time with friends, gossiping, passing on "news" about others under the guise of friendly concern.  Who or what is the first thing we think of when we get up in a morning, or the last thing we think of at night?  Is God really first in our lives, or a poor second, or third or maybe even lower down on the list as our problems and concerns take priority?

It is so easy to let the things of this world take over, to focus our hearts and minds on the everyday problems of making ends meet, paying the bills, looking after the family, working, dealing with illness and everything else that goes on in our lives.  But God is right there in the midst of all the chaos of everyday life.  He is the one we can turn to no matter what is happening in our lives.  He is the one constant we have.  He will not change like a chameleon, a friend and lover one minute, an enemy the next, listening to what we say in confidence and then passing this on to others.  He is never changing, always faithful, full of love, grace and mercy.  No matter who we are or what we have done, He is slow to anger and quick to forgive.  Just read the Psalms and see what the writers had to say about God and his faithfulness.

We need to place our faith and trust in Him and Him alone, not the things of this world.

James 4:16-17

NIV: As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.  Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

The Message: As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.

This is a continuation from the previous verses.  Those verses spoke about boasting about what we are going to do, our plans for the future, and here James is telling us that this is not just wishful thinking (after all, we all have dreams about what we would like to do in the future).  When we plan and scheme without putting God at the forefront of any plans, when we effectively ignore God and do what we want, when we want, then all we are doing is boasting. 

We shouldn't be boasting about anything we have done, or anything we are going to do, because all that we have comes from God and it is to Him we should be giving the glory, not trying to make ourselves look good in front of others. 

I reckon this is something that we all do at sometime or another.  I mean, we all want others to think well of us, we want to look good in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of other Christians too,  We don't want to be thought of as lazy, idle, good for nothing.  We want to be thought of as devout, praiseworthy, honest, good examples of Christian men or women, someone others can look up to or come to for advice and counselling, people who are truly living the Christian life and making full use of all the gifts God has given us.

But when we boast about what we have done, what we are going to do, then we are effectively sinning as we let our pride, our sense of self worth and esteem take over.  Or, as James puts it, all such vaunting self importance is evil. 

Instead, we should be putting God first in our lives doing what He would have us do, allowing the holy Spirit to lead and guide us.  As Christians, we all know this but how often do we actually do this?  How often do we stop to listen to that still small voice inside, the promptings of our spirit when we know we are about to do something that is wrong?  After all, one more drink can't do us any harm; missing church and having a lie in is necessary to make up for all the hard work we did during the week; going out tonight instead of staying in is only what we deserve; making plans for the future is only sensible.....

When we know what we should be doing and don't do it, then we are evil, we are allowing sin full reign on our lives and letting the devil get his way.  He would like nothing better than to keep us away from God, to sidetrack us and get us off the straight and narrow path and he will us every trick in the book (plus all those not even in the book!)  to do so.

It's a case, yet again, of always keeping our hearts and minds focused on God, of putting Him first in our lives and taking the time to spend time with God, to now allow the busyness of life intrude and to really, truly have a personal relationship with God.  Easier said than done when real life is always interfering with family, problems, deadlines and all sorts to worry about....

James 4:13-15

NIV: Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.

The Message: And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."

It was the custom in those days to travel from city to city, carrying your goods on the backs of camels, selling and buying in each city you went to. These words seem to be specifically aimed at those people, who plan ahead which city they are going to go to, what goods they are going to buy/sell.  But in actual fact, these words are just as applicable to each one of us.  After all, how many times do we plan ahead, work out what we are going to do tomorrow, where we will be, what we will do?  I mean, I have a to do list as long as my arm, and the number of times I talk about all the jobs I am going to do tomorrow, the plans I have, how my work is going to go..... 

Yet how do we know what will happen tomorrow?  Our lives are fleeting, anything could happen tomorrow.  For instance, I am currently on holiday with my family, and no matter what plans we may make for tomorrow, where we are gong, what we are going to do, whether we are walking up Snowdon (we're staying in Wales!), visiting caves or an historic castle, much of it depends on the weather.  It is no fun going walking up Snowdon in pouring rain, and a visit to the caves depends on whether they are flooded or not due to heavy rain. Then again, if it is a beautiful sunny day, a trip to the beach might be the preferred option.

We can plan all we want, but nobody really knows what tomorrow holds.

Then when you look at those traders who are planning where they are going, what they are going to do, where they will stay and for how long, when you consider our plans as a family for going out tomorrow, where does God fit into the equation?  What consideration do we, I give to Him when I make all my plans for tomorrow?

Life is fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow.   We could get knocked down by a bus tomorrow, of become seriously ill.  There could be floods, earthquakes, all sorts.  James refers here to our lives being like a wisp of fog or mist.  Well, just take a look at the morning mist if you are up early enough to catch it.  What happens to the mist?  It is here one minute, and gone the next, just like our lives. 

Look at what Job has to say:

Job 7:7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again. (NIV)

And Solomon too had something to say about life:

Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  (NIV)

We need to get our priorities right, to get our hearts right with God and to focus on Him, not on the things of this world.  The people, like one of my sons, who tell themselves there is no god, are only fooling themselves.  We need to realise that life is fleeting, we are only here in this earth for a relatively short time, and then there is all eternity ahead of us.  Take a good look around you at all that you can see.  Look at the plants, the trees, the birds, the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars.  Did they all really just happen by chance, the result of a big bang?  If there was nothing there in the first place, then what caused the big bang? If we are all just the result of evolution,  why is there so much variety? 

If there really is no god, then you need to be absolutely certain in your own mind of how the earth, the universe and all that is in it came about, because you are risking your eternal life. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done . (NIV)

God has placed eternity in our hearts.  Each one of us has an inborn sense of there being something more, and many of us spend our lives trying to find what it is that will bring us peace, security, happiness.  But true happiness can only come from knowing God.  You can't find it by sleeping around, drinking yourself into a stupor every night, or by taking drugs.  Working every hour under the sun to make a fortune will not bring happiness as money brings its own problems.  Following false religions will only fill that God shaped hole in your heart for a moment, because the only way to God is through Jesus:

John 14:6 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.  (NIV)

So when making your plans for tomorrow, when considering what you will do, where you will go, give some thought to God.  Put Him at the centre of your life, not the periphery (assuming He is in your life in the first place....)..  Seek His will for your life, ask Him what you should be doing.  But if God isn't in your life, if He does not factor into any of your decisions or thought processes, something or someone that you never even think about, isn't it time you gave some thought as to whether He really exists or not?  Because if He does, and if Jesus is the only way to God, just what are you doing with your life?

James 4:12

NIV: There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you— who are you to judge your neighbour?

The Message: God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

This all ties back to Jesus' words regarding the most important of the Ten Commandments:

Mark 12:28-31 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, Of all the commandments, which is the most important?

The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.' (NIV)

God gave us the ten commandments as a standard to live by.  He is a god of love, not hate, and His laws, the Ten Commandments, are written in love, to help us b e the people He always designed and created us to be.  There is only one lawgiver, God, and only one judge, God.  He gives is the law and He judges whether we have obeyed the  law.  And this does not mean whether we have kept within the letter of the law, whether we have driven at 30 miles an hour or 31 miles an hour.  This is more of a case, I reckon, of keeping the law within our hearts. 

This doesn't mean that we can, for instance, drive above the speed limit and then tell ourselves it was all right, because in our hearts, we were only doing 30 miles an hour.  No, this is a case of trying to keep the law in our hearts, of knowing instinctively what is right or wrong and trying to do right, not wrong.  Not because of the threat of eternal damnation and the fires of hell though, no, but keeping the law because of the love we have for God, because it is His law and He set it for a reason. 

This also doesn't mean that the law is the be all and end all of life.  After all, we are saved because of our faith in Jesus, of our knowing that He is the Son of God who died on the cross to save each and every one of us from the rightful punishment that is due to us because of all the sinful things we have each done.  Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, God no longer remembers our sins, they have been cast as far as the East is from the West, no matter what we have done. 

This does not mean we can just ignore God's rules though because we have been forgiven.  Paul has words to say on this in (all bible verses below taken from the Message):

Romans 4:4-5 If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.

Romans 4:16a This is why the fulfilment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. 

Romans 6:1-2 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?

Romans 6:5-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.

I reckon all this means that when we become Christians, we no longer have to abide by the law, the ten commandments, but because of our love of God, our love of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, who lives within each believer, we will want to obey the law anyway.  It's somewhat like when you pass your driving test.     When you are still a learner driver, you have to know the Highway Code in order to pass (here in the UK) your theory test.  When you finally become a fully fledged driver, with a full driving license, that does not mean you throw away the Highway Code.  It should mean that you still want to keep it, abide by the rules because you know these are set for your safety and the safety of others. 

The Highway Code is there for a reason, just as God's laws are there for a reason.  We can't just ignore them once we become Christians on the grounds that we are saved by grace.  They are set through love to help protect each one of us.  God is a god of love, full of grace and mercy,  slow to anger, quick to forgive.  He knows the reasoning behind each and very law, each of the commandments, and when we set ourselves up as judges of others, we are in a way, setting ourselves on a par with God.  But who are we to judge others?  What right do we have to look over and criticise others for the way they are living their lives, to find fault with the things they do, set ourselves up as better than them?  After all, we are no better than anyone else because we have all sinned and God does not judge the severity of the sin, so a mass murderer is dealt with more harshly than someone who has only ever told one little white lie.  No, the fact of the matter is, if we have committed only one sin, no matter how big or small, we are separated from God and it is only through grace, through Jesus' sacrifice that we are saved.  Nothing we can do would ever be good enough to put us right with God, only by accepting God's grace, by receiving Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, are we saved.

This always brings me back to Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.  When the Pharisees found her and brought her to Jesus, insisting she be stoned because she had been caught out (no mention of the man, though, and surely he would have been caught too.......), not one word of criticism or censure did he speak.  He would have known better than anyone there  just which law she had broken and what she was guilty of, yet he did not agree that she should be stoned, despite all the evidence supporting her guilt. 

So if Jesus did not judge someone one caught in a blatant transgression, who are we to judge others?  We are told to love our neighbour as ourselves not to judge our neighbour when he makes a mistake or breaks the law.

We need to leave it up to God to do the judging, because only He can see straight into the heart of each one of us and know the motives, the reasons, the heart behind each and every act.