James 5:3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
We do not typically think of gold and silver as corroding very much. They are long lasting metals. But all metal can corrode and rust. To have these metals corrode suggests they are not being used. Perhaps a person has so many gold and silver things that they are neglected and corrosion sets in. The accumulation of wealth is a testimony of our priorities. There are some cases in modern life where savings is important, such as for retirement and emergencies. That is prudent and wise. But having too much wealth of any type that is a distraction of our priorities can be a problem. Wealth does not necessarily mean currency but can be in material things: cars, houses, clothes, technology, and so forth. Even though my wealth has not been substantial, I have felt the weight of it when it comes time to move, especially our last move back to the Philippines. Our full 5+ bedroom house, garage, garden shed, and barn had collected a lot of stuff. Much of this I did not even touch. A lot of it was good stuff that used, such as tools and other things for our small farm. After five yard sales, we still had a lot. It can be challenging to get rid of things and to simplify one’s life. But a simple life can bring freedom. Things of this world can become possessive to us, just like we can be possessive to those things. We think they are ours, but actually we are theirs. They control so much of our lives. They can blind us to spiritual things and cause problems in relationships. They can suck our income and take it away our money from other things that can be used for God’s kingdom. How do we work this kind of situation? First, we must determine our kingdom priorities. Second, we must see what our needs are. Third, we must be sure we take care of our family and future. Fourth, when our things get in the way of these, then we must offload them. Simplify our lives so that we have more freedom. This will take prayer and planning, together with a spouse and family if we are married, or in our own individual planning if we are single. God will give us mercy and wisdom if we seek God’s help and direction.
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