Let’s face it, we live in the here and now. Anyone who only focuses on the future is missing a blessing of the present. In the Book of James, we are called to be a “doer of the Word”, not a hearer only in James 1:22- But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it , and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
We all should want to be blessed in what we do. Our actions directly impact our ability to be blessed by Our Heavenly Father. Are you known as a giver or a taker? Do you attempt to manipulate others into “blessing” you? We are warned in the 2nd chapter of James about catering to the wealthy, exalting them above the poor. The wealthy have often been masters of manipulation in obtaining their wealth and have often used their wealth to gain greater favor. Oh how deceptive are the riches of this world! We must guard against manipulation as we seek to be a blessing to others.
People tend to be hard of hearing when it comes to giving. James calls it a “forgetful hearer”. Our Heavenly Father created this earth with plenty of resources to sustain the population. Man creates shortages or scarcity in order to manipulate wealth from the people. As you become convinced of scarcity, then you start hoarding your existing resources in fear of further scarcity. It becomes a vicious circle. Contrary to human reasoning, Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke the following:
Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
The prerequisite to receiving is giving into the Kingdom. Receiving fruit only occurs after planting seed. The Law of seedtime and harvest was established well before the Law of Moses was given and continues to this very day. Are you consuming your seed? It is no wonder that you are living in scarcity.
Everybody wants to see the Kingdom established but few really sow seed into the Kingdom. Instead they want others to do all of the sowing but they in turn want to reap the benefits. I know this is sensitive subject among many. Any topic close to your wallet always is. However we cannot omit this topic when we are focusing on bringing forth the Kingdom. The very first place in the Promised Land to be taken by the Israelites was Jericho. The wealth of Jericho was to be reserved for the Treasury of THE LORD:
Joshua 6:19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.”
The Treasury should be filled first. Do you think the Kingdom will be established without a treasury? Our Heavenly Father evoked the truth found in Luke 6:38 as the children entered the Promised Land. The greed of Achan destroyed his entire house. Clearly, Achan was a “taker”.