Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. (James 5:2)
DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION of the 1930s, banks failed, people lost their jobs and families became destitute of food and clothes. Because of what they had gone through, after the Depression some people began hoarding food and money. They hid money between bricks in their basements. They kept sacks of flour and sugar in their attics.
Hoarding is storing up more than is needed. But there are dangers associated with this practice. Grain and fruit stored in granaries and silos may rot and become moldy. Mice can get into storage places and eat the food. Moths may eat holes in expensive clothing. Thieves can break in and steal money, food, and clothing. Although gold and silver don’t rust, this Scripture warns us that even the most indestructible things are doomed to decay. While the neighbors’ children don’t have enough to eat, the spoiling of the hoarder’s food shows the folly of ignoring the needy when we can help.
If we would have an excess of anything, let it be mercy, kindness, and good deeds. Consider Jesus. He was rich, but He became poor to save us from our sins. Everything we have comes from God. While we enjoy possessions, we must resist the desire to hoard our stuff. As long as there are people starving and homeless, we please Christ when we share with them.
Pack a lunch today to give to someone in need.
Jewell Johnson is a Bible teacher, a wife, and mother of six children, grandmother to nine. She enjoys walking, reading, and quilting.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
