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Estate Sale - James 5
Estate Sale - James 5
“2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” (James 5:2-3)
In my community, we see a lot of estate sales. Walking through someone’s house and seeing all the things they have collected during their brief journey on this earth makes you wonder WHY they kept that! Now they are gone, but all of these things are left. Much of it cannot even be given away. Things that were precious to the owners are now considered worthless by others.
Instead of ‘going to the house of mourning and learning the real lesson on worldly possessions’, we sell it to others so they can add to their collection of stuff.
We need not make this guilt trip, but we CAN and SHOULD learn some life lessons from it.
Life does not consist of possessions. 15 Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:15
We will leave it ALL when we die. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 1 Timothy 6:7
Most of what we collect will be considered pretty useless to others.
We should enjoy what we have and be thankful. “17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).
“15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:15-16).
Go sit in each room of your house and take a long, slow look at each item in the room. Let it arouse the memory of why you keep it. Be thankful.
Hugh DeLong
