The Self-Centered Rich

James 5:1-6

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

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!

4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, {and} which has been withheld by you, cries out {against you;} and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous {man;} he does not resist you.(NAU)

Well, here we are on the last chapter in James. And again James is hitting people between the eyes.

. In this case, James has a real contempt for the rich of his day. Why? They were known for their greed and self-centered living. Is that true in our day? Sometimes. The only rich people James knew were the pagans who made not only a good living, but took advantage of their laborers and put their hope and trust in material riches. He did not know any who were generous or honest or cared about their community.

Well, today you have both kinds. You would think that with James’ rebuke of the rich that he would be exposing the guilt of all people who are rich. But he isn’t. Thanks to Jesus Christ, there are folks out there with plenty of money who are generous in their sharing of it, and employ people at good wages, and know better than to think that their material goods are what counts. But there are others who have squandered and wasted and misused their material riches and we have recently seen the consequences of some folks who were well off and even had some thriving businesses but were greedy and decided to get more they would by breaking the law, or through their greed they would make foolish management decisions.

We have seen in the news where businesses have gone flat on their faces because their priorities were all wrong, or they did not listen to God’s guidance when He gave it, and have brought financial damage to the lives of many, causing some of those businesses to go broke.

For you see, folks, the use of your money, if it is going to be used well, must be under God’s guidance, must be under His Lordship. Jesus spoke about money use quite a few times in the gospels and He pointed out very clearly that where your heart was, that was where your treasure was and to concentrate on investing treasures in the Kingdom, not on this earth. Jesus also made it clear that God is our source of supply. Oh yes, Paul declared, if a man doesn’t work, he shouldn’t eat, and Jesus’ statements did not contradict this. Those who make their living like many of the apostles did, by faith in God supplying, were working. They were working for the Kingdom, and God did supply their needs. But God had others, like Paul, earning a living with his hands. Why? God wanted him to be an example to other Christians of someone not taking advantage of others, but earning a living. Paul wanted not only to be a good example, but wanted to spare many of the peoples he met with from having to do without because of his needs. For you see, he ministered to many poor people-poor in this world’s goods, but rich in love and faith.

And James himself saw what the rich of his day did-they lived by their riches, so they did not put their faith in God, nor did they use their riches in God’s ways. James was impelled to bring this to the attention of the people he was writing to, to remind them that being rich materially was not a goal to go after, nor were these rich folks the example to follow. As a matter of fact, James made sure that the people to whom he wrote understood the outcome of the lives of these "rich" people. In the very next verse, James is letting these people know that their turn to be blessed was coming.

James 5:7

7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.(NAU)

Obviously James had heard of the envying of the "rich" by the people he wrote to, and wanted to not only encourage these folks, but correct any who were placing their love in their "riches". He wanted people to see that real riches are Kingdom riches, and that there is a wonderful reward at the end of the tunnel-that end being the coming of the Lord.

So James here says, don’t envy the rich who have evil hearts, but be patient to receive all that Jesus has to give. Keep your priorities right and remember that all these folks who put their trust and love in material goods are going to lose them, not only in this life but losing real life in the life to come.

Where are your priorities? Is it to earn a living so you can be comfortable and well off? Or is it to please the Lord and earn money not only to pay your bills but bless the people of the Kingdom?

Look at what Paul says-

2 Cor 9:8

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;(NAS)

2 Cor 8:14

14 at this present time your abundance {being a supply} for their want, that their abundance also may become {a supply} for your want, that there may be equality;(NAS)

You see, what Paul was stressing to the Corinthians was that everyone’s extras needed to be used to help those in need. But he made people to understand that a lazy person did not have the right to be helped that way.

II Th 3:10

10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.(KJV)

As you go through scriptures on the subject of material goods or finances, you will find that God’s priorities and this world’s priorities are two different things. The world aims to please self and make self comfortable, God aims to make us like Jesus. Whose aims are yours?

May you have a blessed weekend. The Good News Lady