Read

James 5:1-6

¹Look here, you rich people, weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. ²Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. ³Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh in hell. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. ⁴For 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 the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

⁵You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every whim. Now your hearts are nice and fat, ready for the slaughter. ⁶You have condemned and killed good people who had no power to defend themselves against you.

Reflect

Whew. I’m glad I’m not rich. Life looks pretty grim for those rich people! But maybe we are the people James was talking about. Even the poor people in America have multiple TV’s in their home. We have cell phones and regular phones, fast internet and personal computers. We live off of credit cards and drive vehicles with high monthly payments. We send both parents into the working world and sacrifice our kids to the daycare gods. We purchase clothing made by child labor in sweatshops in some third world country. We demand competitive products and services and look the other way as companies pay sub-minimum wages to “undocumented” labor and then get mad that they are here using services that we pay taxes for. Life just isn’t fair is it?

If you think about it, rich is really subjective. If material comforts get in the way of our spiritual life, we are like the rich people James is talking about and to use a Biblical phrase: Woe to you.

Respond

What are some ways we can guard ourselves from allowing the desire for material things to run our lives?

What attitude should we adopt so we won’t be identified with James’ “rich people”?

What can you do if you are on the receiving end of someone like this?

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