Bible Reading
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
James 5:1-6
James 5:1-6
Devotional
Over the past 4 chapters, James has taken the time to carefully build a case for the need of total and complete dependence on God. To begin the final chapter of James, He now naturally rebukes those most likely to live independently from God – the rich. This doesn't mean that all wealthy people live in independence from God. There are many wealthy people, both then and now, who are generous and Godly. There are also many poor, both then and now, who live selfishly and ungodly. What James means by this passage is that it is the rich who are more likely to place their trust in what they possess above what Jesus offers. History has shown James' caution to be true. Wealth has historically been a major stumbling block to those seeking the things of God and living righteous lives.
Given James' position as a leader in the early church, and one that many looked up to as the brother of Jesus and brought their petitions to, James would have heard many stories of how the rich had exploited, extorted, or robbed the poor. He would have also spoken to many wealthy merchants and politicians who were curious about the gospel but couldn't bring themselves to change their way of life. James would have developed a strong opinion over the years about how worldly wealth could easily corrupt a person from the inside out and prevent their total heart transformation. He used his book as a sounding board to share what was on his heart in a strong and direct way. Worldly riches present a huge obstacle for many people coming to Christ, and also those in the church, preventing them from fully giving their lives over and living in full dependence on God. Wealth has a way of corrupting from the inside out: corroded, moth-eaten... as James describes it, just as a person will become if they put their hope and faith in the possessions that come to possess them. James spoke out against those who had been busy heaping up treasures on earth more than treasures in heaven, hoarding the wrong thing, with motivations to only honor themselves and not God.
The challenge is brought to each of us today through James' words. What are you hoarding? What are you storing up? What or who are you dependent on? If you are hoarding up money and possessions, just know that you cannot take that with you when you pass into eternity. If you have placed your trust in your bank account and investment portfolio, know that they things cannot save your soul and cannot even save your body. The people you may have cheated and wronged along the way are not hidden. God sees all, and God will judge based on what you have done in this life, whether right or wrong. The good news is that it is not too late to make things right. Allow the words of James to be a call to live a God-honoring life for the rest of your days.
Given James' position as a leader in the early church, and one that many looked up to as the brother of Jesus and brought their petitions to, James would have heard many stories of how the rich had exploited, extorted, or robbed the poor. He would have also spoken to many wealthy merchants and politicians who were curious about the gospel but couldn't bring themselves to change their way of life. James would have developed a strong opinion over the years about how worldly wealth could easily corrupt a person from the inside out and prevent their total heart transformation. He used his book as a sounding board to share what was on his heart in a strong and direct way. Worldly riches present a huge obstacle for many people coming to Christ, and also those in the church, preventing them from fully giving their lives over and living in full dependence on God. Wealth has a way of corrupting from the inside out: corroded, moth-eaten... as James describes it, just as a person will become if they put their hope and faith in the possessions that come to possess them. James spoke out against those who had been busy heaping up treasures on earth more than treasures in heaven, hoarding the wrong thing, with motivations to only honor themselves and not God.
The challenge is brought to each of us today through James' words. What are you hoarding? What are you storing up? What or who are you dependent on? If you are hoarding up money and possessions, just know that you cannot take that with you when you pass into eternity. If you have placed your trust in your bank account and investment portfolio, know that they things cannot save your soul and cannot even save your body. The people you may have cheated and wronged along the way are not hidden. God sees all, and God will judge based on what you have done in this life, whether right or wrong. The good news is that it is not too late to make things right. Allow the words of James to be a call to live a God-honoring life for the rest of your days.