Friday: Further Study: Weep and Howl
Further Study: “Money has great value, because it can do great good. In the hands of God’s children it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, and clothing for the naked. It is a defense for the oppressed, and a means of help to the sick. But money is of no more value than sand, only as it is put to use in providing for the necessities of life, in blessing others, and advancing the cause of Christ.
“Hoarded wealth is not merely useless, it is a curse. In this life it is a snare to the soul, drawing the affections away from the heavenly treasure. . . .
He who realizes that his money is a talent from God will use it economically, and will feel it a duty to save that he may give.
-Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 351, 352.
Discussion Questions:
- Consider the following statements:
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender
(Prov. 22:7, ESV). “Many poor families are poor because they spend their money as soon as they receive it. . . .
“When one becomes involved in debt, he is in one of Satan’s nets, which he sets for souls. -Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 392. Is helping people to get out of debt or to avoid getting into debt a part of “preach[ing] the gospel to the poor”? (Luke 4:18). Why, or why not? - How do we really know whether money serves us or we serve it? See Luke 16:10-13.
- Economic disparity is everywhere. Some people have 2, 3, even 4 or more luxurious homes while others are happy to scrounge up a few pieces of wood and cobble them into a shelter. And what about those who have become obese by stuffing themselves while there are children all over the world going to bed hungry? Some argue that by taking from the rich we can give more to the poor. Others argue that as the rich get richer, they can help lift the poor out of poverty. How do we work, as Christians, to help alleviate the problem of extreme poverty? What things should we do to help, and what things shouldn’t we do?
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A. How do we work, as Christians, to help alleviate the problem of extreme poverty?
Well, the needs of the poor are countless; there’s no way we can solve each one of them with our meager resources. However, we can start by sharing whatever little God has granted us. After all, if we are faithful with the little, Jesus says, He will set more in our charge. That way we will have even more resources to continue doing His work by reaching out to the needy.
B. What things should we do to help?
There are numerous things we could do to help. The top three I can think of are:
1. Remember that we are only stewards and not owners of resources set at our disposal.
2. Pray that the Spirit of the LORD will help us identify the needs of those who could use our help.
3. Reach out and touch those in need; make this world a better place as much as we can.
C. What things shouldn’t we do?
We should not:
1. Become ‘dead seas’ hoarding onto or bury resources (in our closets, garages, basements, public storages, and banks) that God has given us to benefit others. Instead we should use those resources to reach out and touch His needy children all over the world.
2. Forget that this world is not our home; we are just passing through. It is hard to travel through the narrow way (anyways) with a baggage of things. More details about the repercussions of hoarding can be found in http://www.whiteestate.org/sop/2000/story.html
The Word is given to us to reveal to us the character of God to develop our relationship with Him.
So what has James 5:1-6 revealed to me?
God judges and condemns those who oppress others and soon they will receive their just desserts and they will weep and howl.
As God is the judge I don't need to judge them.
By condemning the oppressors the LORD is telling me that He is not an oppressor but just the opposite. He treats everyone equally, He shares His resources with everyone whether they deserve it or not. He loves us so much He was prepared to risk heaven to rescue us. He is building mansions for us so that we can live with Him. He has told us that every time we help one of the least of His brothers and sisters we are helping Him. If each one of us helped one other person we could rock this world.
My prayer is dear LORD change my heart to be like yours.
Give and it will come back to you. What a mighty God we serve. We ought to put God first in the giving of our tithes and offerings, to allow the gospel to be preached through The Word and through our actions. As we come to a season of giving, let us not just think about commercial gift but rather a life changing gift. Choose someone that clearly needs practical help and then offer them the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, to help them to look forward to an awesome new year. God bless as we pray for each other to make a real difference in someones life. Have a great Sabbath.
I did not fully agree with last statement and here is why.. It is judgemental to those who are obese. Obesity has a genetic component and an emotional component and poor eat food that is cheaper and less nutrious
I think it is also valuable to remind us to put God first with whatever or financial situation we are blessed with. Giving him back his portion wether money time etc before we pay other bills has been a tremendous blessing to me. I don't worry about anything else financially
God wants us to be prosperous. It is not the amount of money that make us prosperous it is what we have to give back to those in need
We have become a church caught up in Christmas giving that will cause us to spend money we either don't have or should not be spending on frivolous things. We should remind ourselves that we should be saving for the time of our individual trouble and paying down or debts fianacailly and emotionally
Hoping these statements helps others today
What a powerful statement from EGW, COL pp. 351, 352. May our Father in Heaven give us the ability to absorb the meaning of those Words, and take warning from the quote from Adventist Home.
Rosann, you are right in observing that the author got caught up in a round of negativity in #3"Discussion Questions" and unfortunately became especially judgmental about obesity. In various issues, for some there are damning and painful genetic and health issues, for some there are poverty issues, and for some there are personal responsible choice issues. For whatever reasons, the acceptance of Jesus Christ, accompanied by our obedience by His grace to moral and health commandments,is to be priority in our lives. God's assessment is what matters. To have His view of people is our need. God bless.
John3v16
God gave his most wanted asset ,so i think we must follow his example.dont give someone bcoz you no longer need it but let love push you to give even if it means leaving you empty handed ..
Going over the posts from this week's lesson, it appears that once again the message has been lost on some of us. Where is the humility & humanity gone? It also appears we truly are the church of last days who don't realize how wretched we really are.
It is not a sin to be rich or poor, but some voices certainly praise the wealthy and condemn the less fortunate.
I wonder if we realize that one day, whether in our lifetime or not, we will be regarded as nothing, of no value, unable to buy or sell, considered worthy of death. We will be the ones who will draw the ire some have expressed in these posts and year, after year in our SS class rooms.
We are drawn to the nicely dressed over the shabby, we disparage the poor, going so far as to find fault in them for being married as one post suggested.
How easily deceived we will be if we continue down this path.
I am greatly concerned for us. We desperately need the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and really need to find some grounding.
There is always a voice of distraction tying to plant seeds of doubt---may we all ask for wisdom, knowledge & understanding to avoid such traps.