James 5:4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

Be fair on fares

The heart of the matter is that God tests the hearts of men. What are the important things in life? Is it the people we are capable of helping or the money that we should pay them for their efforts? It is not wrong to give people money in times of need. But the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime.” But if we teach the man to fish and then take the fish he catches, then how are we helping?

So why would we withhold the wages of someone working for us? Or suppress their wages? Is it your purpose to withhold the good that we can supply people? This is the test. God wants to know how you treat your fellow man. We are made in His image. His breath is in our lungs. We are all His children. The ground at the foot of the cross is level. God is not a respecter of persons. Your wealth means nothing.

Luxurious Living

James 5:5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. For Christians, life on earth can feel like true reality. But from God’s perspective, what is reality? This flows down to us believers! Eternity is the true reality. This life is fleeting. What are you preparing for? Are you fattening your flesh, or are you developing spiritual muscle?

What soft Christianity will not speak of today is that we will spend eternity somewhere! God’s reality is the only reality that matters. Jesus speaks more about hell than anyone else in the Bible. Yes, Jesus. Yes, hell. We will spend eternity in one of two places: Heaven or hell. No one likes to hear this, but we have to speak the full truth of the Bible. What are you preparing for again?

The truth

2 Corinthians 12:6 For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. The flesh sometimes tries to pull me into the soft Christian camp. But the Spirit wills me to speak the truth. Hell is not something I enjoy speaking on. But the way we treat people shows whether God is truly in our hearts. How do I know if God is in my heart?

Galatians 2:16“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. Do you depend on works? Or do you believe that Jesus has justified you? Belief is the key.