A cancer in your gut ...

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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. Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you’ve piled up is judgment. All the workers you’ve exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. -James 5:1-4 MSG

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The apostle Paul warns us, in his first epistle to Timothy, that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. In this passage James seems to elaborate on that idea a bit. Interesting how the folks who paraphrased these verses describe our greed for luxury as a cancer in our gut. Greed causes us to do bad things. Greed separates coworkers. Greed causes us to buy things that we cannot afford. Greed enslaves us with debt. Small wonder James tells us to lament.

In the end the issue is not really money, wealth or even greed. The problem is the pride and arrogance that tells us that we do not have a responsibility to bless others with what God has blessed us with. The egocentric person does not see a need to share his wealth with anyone but himself. Pride takes us to strange places. In contrast humility acknowledges that we are simply managers and not owners - all that we have belongs to God. We must be wise with what He give us.

We repent of our greed Lord. Fill us and help us to love others with the things that you give us.

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