By Theodore Epp

      James 5:1-6

      Christians can become so addicted to money and to achieving a higher level of living that they lose all perspective and forget what they are really here on earth to accomplish. Those who live only for the pleasures of the moment stand under the condemnation of Paul's words of 1 Timothy 5:6: "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth." Many Christians have had the vitality taken from their spiritual life because of their great concern for the things of the world. They are saved, but their lives do not reflect the glorious difference that Christ can make when a believer focuses his attention on eternal values instead of temporal ones.

      An important question that every family needs to face is, How much money do we need in order to live in the comfort we prescribe for ourselves? We also need to ask, Have we set our standard of comfort too high? Regrettably, many people have set their standard so high that they have to spend so much time obtaining an income for that level of life that they really have no time to live. How sad to spend so much time earning a living that you do not have time to enjoy the living. I am not referring to those who must work long hours just to keep the family fed and clothed. I am referring to those who have become so addicted to the luxuries of life that they think the luxuries are essential. Such an attitude greatly affects our spiritual priorities--spiritual things are bound to suffer and to take second place to the things of the world. It is important then that we do some clear thinking about our attitude toward what this world has to offer. Although some have the attitude that money is the answer to everything, James 5:1-6 reveals that this belief is certainly not true.

      "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it" (Prov. 10:22).