Have you ever wished that you were rich? Someone once said “It’s better to be poor and happy and than to be rich and miserable”…but someone else quipped “Couldn’t I just be moderately wealthy and just a little moody?”
The Bible is replete with warnings about the use of money and resources…and our section of James this Sunday is one of them. We’ll be reading James 5:1-6.
This passage doesn’t take a lot of interpreting. Why do you think James says what he does about the rich? What lessons can we learn about how we use the resources we have from this passage? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
WONDERWHAT 
Maybe James says what he does about the rich to dispel the thought in the minds of any of us who may mistakenly think that money will solve our problems. As usual God’s word is counter-culture for us. With money comes many opportunities to be distracted with worldliness. Lets face it, with expendible income we can finally buy those things that will make us happy, or go those places that fulfill our dreams and if they don’t well then because of our resources we can try the next thing, place or experience we might be missing until we have wasted much valuable time and resources spending our life on temporal pursuits serving self…James knows when we have Jesus we have the one thing we have been searching for and don’t need to get on that hamster wheel again. He speaks relationally throughout this whole section again as well. It appears that in chasing after or clinging to those riches others have been abused and neglected while the rich sit on their big fat bank account concerned only for themselves. All the while their own employees suffer need and go without. It is hard to believe that you could neglect those around you even those who help you as in these passages when you have an overabundance. It appears the overabundance instead has a hold on them. And therein lies the danger. With great wealth comes great responsibility. I’ve always though if I had lots of money I would give to this or that or help with this cause or another after of course I paid of my own mountain of bills but I am sure the temptation would linger to waste those resources on self!!
One other thought occurred to me on this…James was probably writing to some of those who were suffering at the hand of these rich oppressors. Maybe he was trying to encourage them by pointing out that although the rich may be abusing them and appear to be being rewarded, the end of their story is not good. Indeed this life may be as good as it gets for those who serve money. The meek will inherit the earth…maybe James was just reminding them to stay the course knowing that not only could they endure this life with His peace but that they could trust in their just Judge in the end.