Christians In An Age Of Greed

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

James 5:7

JAMES SAYS, “Be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return.” Patience is a virtue in a world filled with sin and struggle. We need to maintain a long-term perspective, recognizing that God will eventually put things right, even if now there is much suffering and injustice to bear.

In James’s day, as in our own, many believers were victims of a culture in which greed reigned, often at the expense of good, hardworking people. Wealthy landowners bribed corrupt judges and exploited the poor. They squeezed their employees by withholding their wages, hoarding the money for themselves. It was a disgrace.

James never condones injustice or calls believers to make peace with it. Not at all. But he does urge us to focus our gaze on heaven and find our hope in Christ’s coming reign rather than in this world. The irony is that when we take such an approach, we become so freed up from the things of this world that we’re actually much more effective as agents of transformation. We live as if we have nothing to lose, because ultimately we don’t.

The workplace is part of our mission field. Mondays become extensions of Sunday, and we serve as emissaries of God’s Kingdom. Our lives are not meant to be disjointed in any way but should be wholly devoted to God in every sphere of influence we have.

BOTTOM LINE

A Christian in the workplace is more than an employee. He is an ambassador of the gospel, on a mission for God.

Moment of Strength: James 5:7-11