fat cats

James 5: 1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.3 Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment.4 For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.6 You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.

Like many, during this time of financial collapse these last 18 months, I'm provoked at the utter stupidity of the rampant greed pf many in the financial sector.

Like many, it drives me crazy that so many of these high level executives of bailed-out companies get fantastic amounts in bonuses - all because of Byzantine rules within their companies; companies we're bailing out.

And then, there's people like Bernie Madoff...

So, this morning, as I read these verses above, I was thinking about how all these rich fat cats will one day get their come-uppances...

But...

Then I got to thinking about it.

I don't care what anyone has done. I don't care if you're Bernie Madoff, or some fat cat on Wall St pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars unnecessarily, or what.

The bottom line here is these people are all headed for an eternity separated from God.

And eternity if a VERY long time.

Now matter what anyone's done, I don't wish an eternity separated from God on anyone.

Think of the icon's that have died recently:
Heath Ledger,
Michael Jackson,
Patrick Swayze,
Ted Kennedy,
Mary Travers,
Walter Cronkite,
Paul Newman,
Steve McNair
Farah Fawcett
& many, many more...

Now, think of the many people you know who have died recently...

I wonder what any of them would say to us now?

What would Walter Cronkite say to us now?

Or how about Michael Jackson?

Wonder what Bernie Madoff would say to us in a few years whe he passes on, if he continues in the direction he seems to be going without a relationship with Jesus?

But, the bottom line for me remains the same. I don't wish an eternity separated from the Source of all love & beauty.

Eternity is a VERY, VERY long time.

So?

We're all surrounded by people who are going slam to hell. And we act like it's nothing.

Each one of us who knows we'll spend an eternity with God is able to say that because someone(s) cared enough to tell us about Him.

Where would you or I be today if people responsible for us becoming Christ followers had been a little slack in their commitment, or, worse yet, just decided not to share Him?

Yep - we'd be on the slippery slope to hell, too.

NEVER underestimate the ripple effect of our sharing the love of Jesus with everyone around us.

Think about it...