Journal Entry ~ 08/04/18

Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. - James 5:4

James was addressing wealthy landowners who cheat employees out of fairly earned wages in this verse. While many of us do not have positions where we pay other people’s wages, it was a common enough practice to get mentioned multiple times throughout scripture. God wanted to make sure we understood if we are in a position of wealth, and people are relaying on the wages that we pay, it is sin to withhold that money. 

Most people in this world earn just enough wage to pay their bills and make ends meet. To withhold money from employees is to take food from their table or shelter over their head. James tells us the cries of the employees have reached the ears of the Lord. He hears and He knows when people have been cheated.

The reality is in this country, most of us do not live that lean. We have been blessed to live far above the average person in this world, yet we still complain, want more, and hoard money for ourselves. God promises to provide for all of His children, and oftentimes He does that by using one of us. If we do not respond to His prompting to take care of one of His children, we are committing great sin. 

It is sin to withhold any money God calls us to give, so this passage applies to each one of us. If we are being honest, we have all been in a position of cheating others out of money for our own personal gain. Perhaps we’ve not said anything when we’ve been charged improperly for something at the store, or we’ve withheld a tip from someone who barely earns an hourly wage and relies on those tips for income. Perhaps we’ve falsely reported our income to the government, we’ve taken things from work or the hotel that don’t belong to us, or we’ve cheated our boss out of an honest day’s work by leaving early. Or perhaps we’ve cheated God out of what is due Him with our tithes. God sees what you do. He knows when you lie or steal from others, and He knows when you hoard money rather than use it as He has called you to use it.  To Him, this is sin. 

Cheating others from money that is due to them is an indication of the state of your heart.  Either you struggle with the sin of greed or you struggle with the sin of trusting God will provide for you. Be obedient with your money. God promises to take care of you, and He will bless your obedience abundantly. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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