The Cries of the Harvesters

Verses: James 5 : 1 - 6

My thoughts about the verses:

How many of us dream of being rich?  We dream of having power and prestige.  We dream that we one day will have all the things that we want.  In our dreams we often don’t worry about those that we step over to get to the top.

Look at our own lives.  How many of us have been the victim of someone climbing the corporate ladder?  They do everything in their power to make themselves look fantastic.  The managers think that they are sheep.  Yet we know the truth that they are wolves in sheep clothing.  They would rather throw us under the bus than have we as competition.

I love watching certain reality television.  If there is a competition to win you can bet that I am watching the show.  I especially love the shows involving food.  There is something about watching people creating something out of nothing. 

Yet, when you watch these shows a villain often appears.  The person that sabotages the others chances of winning.  They often win the small challenges and think up ways to eliminate the ones that they feel are the biggest competition. 

I am shocked how often a really good chef goes out of their way to do the sabotage.  You feel as if they could have made it to the top if they just worried about doing their own thing.  Yet, they feel the work is inadequate and they need to eliminate the top competitors to even out the battlefield.

How many times do you see this happen in real life?  People going against the grain to prove they are better than the competition.  They do not care who falls under their feet on the way up the ladder.  Their goal is to get to the top and to have more than others.

The problem is when you work this way you hurt those around you.  You especially hurt those that you conquer over.  Your stride to the top is more like a stomping of those that had the same right to be where you are.  You only see them as casualties to your conquest.  The goal was to have power and riches and in the end you made it on top of the heap.

God does not want us to desire to be the victors over our fellow human.  God wants us to work fairly with each person that we come in contact with.  We are to treat each other equally.  We are not to look down on people.  When you look down on people you are actually pointing out your own flaws.

Those that climb the ladder of life without the help of God are eventually going to fall hard.  No matter how much you have on this earth if you do not have Jesus in your life you have accomplished nothing.  Your gain in life will be lost because it will not help you in the afterlife.

We have to ensure that we do not step on people to get to the top.  We need to concentrate on helping others find the love of God.  We need to set our hearts on reaching the Glory Land.  Riches will soon go away but a life in Heaven will last an eternity.

Prayer:

We praise you Holy God.  We thank you for your love.  Help us focus on leading others to your love.  Help us realize that fortune and fame are not what we need in this life.  In the name of the Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you trying to gain fame and fortune?  Are you trying to live for God?  What must you do today to live your life for the benefit of God?  Are you willing to accept the grace that God wants to give to you?