James 5:1-6
Scripture
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Devotion
We began this week with some of the hardest words in the letter of James, a warning to the rich whose wealth had rotted, whose workers had gone unpaid, and whose comfort had kept them from seeing the judgment drawing near. Through Amos 8, we saw that God has always heard the cries of the poor and has never forgotten the deeds of those who exploit them, and through 1 Timothy 6, we discovered the contentment and godliness that free a believer from the love of money.
Behind all three passages stands the gospel, which tells us of a Savior who, though He was rich, became poor for our sake so that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus held nothing back from us, and the righteous One who stood before Pilate gave Himself fully so that people who have loved money, clung to comfort, and overlooked their neighbors could be forgiven and made new. The judgment James warns about is real, and the grace Christ offers to everyone who turns to Him is every bit as real.
As you prepare for Sunday, consider how God has spoken to you through these passages. He may have stirred gratitude for His provision, brought a sin to the surface that you need to confess, or shown you a person or need He wants you to meet with generosity. Write your response in your journal below and bring it with you to worship, ready to offer God a heart that has been searched by His Word and is willing to be changed by it.
HEAR About It
Respond
Write your response to God. What has He spoken to you this week through James 5:1-6? What will you do about it? A prayer, a commitment, a confession? Make it honest and make it yours.
Prayer and Reflection
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the passage you read today. Let the Holy Spirit bring to mind what stood out to you and why. Then spend some time in prayer. Pray for the people around you, for your outlook on this day, and for the needs you are carrying in your own life.
Lord, You are the blessed and only Sovereign, and everything I have comes from Your hand. Thank You that Jesus became poor so that I could share in His riches, and forgive me for the times I have loved comfort more than I have loved You or my neighbor. Take what You have stirred in me this week and make it real in my life. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
