James 5 Gotta serve somebody- move or stay put?

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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James 5:1-20
A Warning to the Rich 1 You rich people, listen! Cry and be very sad because of the troubles that are coming to you. 2 Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. 3Your gold and silver have rusted, and that rust will be a proof that you were wrong. It will eat your bodies like fire. You saved your treasure for the last days. 4The pay you did not give the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the workers have been heard by the Lord All-Powerful. 5Your life on earth was full of rich living and pleasing yourselves with everything you wanted. You made yourselves fat, like an animal ready to be killed. 6You have judged guilty and then murdered innocent people, who were not against you. Be Patient 7Brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord comes again. A farmer patiently waits for his valuable crop to grow from the earth and for it to receive the autumn and spring rains. 8You, too, must be patient. Do not give up hope, because the Lord is coming soon. 9Brothers and sisters, do not complain against each other or you will be judged guilty. And the Judge is ready to come! 10Brothers and sisters, follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord. They suffered many hard things, but they were patient. 11We say they are happy because they did not give up. You have heard about Job's patience, and you know the Lord's purpose for him in the end. You know the Lord is full of mercy and is kind. Be Careful What You Say 12My brothers and sisters, above all, do not use an oath when you make a promise. Don't use the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to prove what you say. When you mean yes, say only yes, and when you mean no, say only no so you will not be judged guilty. The Power of Prayer 13Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises. 14Anyone who is sick should call the church's elders. They should pray for and pour oil on the personF7 in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will heal that person. And if the person has sinned, the sins will be forgiven. 16Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen. 17Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! 18Then Elijah prayed again, and the rain came down from the sky, and the land produced crops again. Saving a Soul 19My brothers and sisters, if one of you wanders away from the truth, and someone helps that person come back, 20remember this: Anyone who brings a sinner back from the wrong way will save that sinner's soul from death and will cause many sins to be forgiven.
FOOTNOTES:F8 pour oil on the person - Oil was used in the name of the Lord as a sign that the person was now set apart for God's special attention and care.
Copyright Statement: New Century Version

~ Lena’s Journalin’~
Is it “wrong” to be “rich”? Rich in what? Faith? No.
But, what is your passion in life, what do you put the most energy forth for? What do you give your life and health and strength to and what fills your mind with thoughts continuously? What takes the most of your time or drives you to accomplish in life? Is it for you to make a name for self glorification, does it build your won self worth or does it being ultimate glory to God?
In that lies the determiner of whether riches are “wrong” or not. What do they do to you, or what do you do with them? Do they lead you, guide you, are they possibly the god you serve? Or do they serve you and your God can tell you whatever He’d like for you to do with them? Do you passionately pursue it for your security here, while there is none being stored for the future which is our true life eternal?
We cannot serve two Masters, we’ll love one and hate the other, which is why the love of money is the root of all evil. We cannot serve God and money. Yet we have to serve somebody, don’t we?
I’ve seen over and over again through a few experiences in life, people choose their location to live based on money. Doesn’t that sound logical? Isn’t that how we are/were raised? Isn’t THAT how we provide for our families?
It could be, if we are the one in charge. It all boils down to who do we really trust? I remember the first time I ever heard the message presented that we are placed in cities, towns, areas on the earth as it pleases the Lord, that He assembles us in families about the earth, for equipping and for ministry. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, Acts 17:26
The message I’d heard was brought forth saying, why do you let your job move you around? That was so foreign in thinking to me. I’d never heard anything like it. Was there any other way to think or live?
After living here now 18 years In the same area and going to the same fellowship. I realize more and more of what the man was sharing. A tree who moves from place to place will never get strong enough to withstand any storm, and there’ll not be deep roots, ever. That tree may never bring forth fruit, because it stays in the cycle of transplanting and shock, when it begins to establish itself in new soil it is uprooted again. If you were that tree you may as well just hang there doing nothing until the next digging.
I’ve seen God bless people who move from place to place to place and I’ve seen them be effective in ministries. I’ve also seen people hurt over and over again, by transplants who stay a bit, get established and then go on to the next location, call or venture. There’s s scripture that comes to mind.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Rom 12
There is a good, acceptable and a perfect will of God. Where do we live? In His grace, by mercy (because we do things requiring it more and more), or in His Divine favor? Do you know God blesses the wills of men too? He likes when someone will give Him anything, he’s thankful takes it, ahh but the joy of the father when a Son wants what the father wants, what the father knows is best. The perfect will of the father.
I’ve also seen how people can’t seem to come to the house of the Lord, because they have to work 1st, or they are too tired from working so hard and so much, or they are storing up enough energy for the next work day because today they felt weak from working so much, all of this for money and more money. Yet the money keeps running away and we never seem to catch up or “get ahead”. God and His house are 2nd at best, money and its pursuit are 1st.
If that person comes, they can give some and come at least on Sundays, but mostly it is to get a fuel up to make it through the week. If anyone asks them to serve at church or help in kingdom ministry work they can’t, and they not only have excuses, but the excuses are real, they have to go serve somebody. It is all a trust and a faith issue. Having to work for money and all of the things it requires us to pay for is the #1 deterrent of growth in faith and commitment to God. I’d say there is a challenge out there for us all.
Who will we serve? If God is God, serve Him. If money is god, serve him, and we do.
I’ve also seen people say ok then I won’t work as much, but they don’t mix their faith with their time or gift offerings to the house of the Lord. It’s almost like the enemy wants to say, go ahead try it, when you fail, you’ll come back this way, to serve my will anyway.
Trust, reliance and Faith without works is dead. If we trust God, we must apply faith and purposeful work to that specified faith act. We must know our promises in the One we trust and rely on, know His word and insist on its blessing on the life of those who give of their lives for His kingdom work.
So I stay here when I could take a new position at a new company in Timbuktu and make more money. I must do that by faith. I must make declarations of faith concerning that decision.
Such as, “God I serve You and Not money, because I believe You provide all of my needs more than any other job ever could. You fill my mind and heart with creative ideas and energy to make money easily, so that I can have time for the things that are important to You first and them also to me. You are important to me, my family is important to me, and my church and the salvation of those in the world around me are important to me. I want to “kill two birds with one stone” as often as I can to conserve time and energy and be able to work my job(s) and Your kingdom at the very same time. Lord, open doors for me to be a witness that people see as genuine. Give me opportunities to meet new people and say just the right things they need to hear that will lead them to You. I want to stay in one location until You send me somewhere else, if You ever do. I believe my pastors and leaders would see me as being ready to be sent out even before I see it, if that’s what You choose to do. I’ll not choose it, for You set people in the body as it pleases You, people like my pastors will see these kinds of moves before I ever do. I belong to a family, I’m a family member. I’m faithful to You, Lord and to people too. I’m planted here through thick and thin and I grow. My roots grow down deep in love. I love Your house, more than even the furnishing and decorating of my own house. I see the work laid out here in Your local house is so extensive and You’ve been waiting to bring its increase through more of my participation here. I see the main reason for having order in my own house is to be hospitable to those who come through, so they can see You more. I believe that the righteous decisions I make to stay put are based on principles of covenant and covenant is solid. There is blessing to covenant keepers, so I call Your provisional blessings to come to my house, my business ventures, my family and all I put my hands to. You are Almighty God and anything I could ever do, any work I could ever do will not compare to what You can do for me. Forgive me for working for myself and not joining into Your work, for being too busy building my own walls and castle dreams and not tending to Yours. I purpose to lay down my life as You laid Yours down for me and my world. I won’t make my own way in life, I make way for You, I deposit my life trust in You and I expect You to take care of everything I and my family will ever need. Show me more of Your ways Lord, teach me Your pathways, and help me stay on track, not looking at what I must do to take care of me and mine, but what can I do to further care for what You care for, and in so doing I give and it shall be given me.” Amen.
Without these kinds of faith-filled prayers our ventures are dead ventures and will not work. Our pastor just preached about faith and said, what is not of faith is sin. We in America, like formulas and obligations and all we’ve gotten from that is religion, another rote obligation. We even like obligation and at least this one is a good obligation, it motivates us to be good.
Now, God is not looking for good works, though He is looking for works of faith! He’s calling us into a passionate driving relationship to move and rock our present world that is crying out for a revolutionary change.
Patience is the proof of trust. If we trust God we have patience. Those who have problems with patience are either very excited or do not trust. If we really see what God has told us and know Him well enough to know He’ll accomplish His word that we stand on and that we will not budge off of, we’ll have no problem “waiting”. This is the tool the enemy uses to get us to quit. If we quit we’ll possibly never see what we originally saw in the spirit and may never attain it either. The staying is for our faith. If we uproot our faith before its time it’ll die and it will not be able to bring forth fruit. Once the enemy sees we are immoveable the battle is about over. Patience is the process of this work. Will you stay or will you quit? Do you really mean it or just wish for it? Wishing doesn’t go anywhere with God nor does it move out of His enemies.
Did you mean what you said when you started this course? Did you mean it when you confessed Jesus as Lord of your life? That means you no longer rule your own life, you were bought by Him with His blood. He paid for you and then you said, yes I want to follow you. That’s a vow, a promise, before God- not men, God.
Yes, yes. No no. Now, as never before, it is a time to make and keep commitments, not contracts, commitments, especially those made in and to the Lord!
Follow through, follow Him. He’ll make you a fisher of men, whether you want to or not. His want to will become yours too.
Sickness comes into opened doors, or are attacks of enemies.
Is there a difference? Illness is not a test from God. The more involved we are in the will of God the more authority we will exercise over it. Pray, Pray, alone, with others, with elders, with oil, Pray.

Daily Repetitive Verses -
John 17:15 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one.