Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share James 5:1-6
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
James 5:1-6
James 5:1-6
The important thing is not how much money we have, but how did we get it and how are we using it. Have we hurt other people in our desire to get more money? Listen to what James writes in James chapter 5 verse1, “Come now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” Now who would think that rich people should be weeping and howling? I thought that if you had enough money you’d never be weeping, howling! Well, James goes on to tell us that these people were depending on their riches. As a consequence, God judged them.
Again, the important thing is not how much money you have, but how did you get it and how are you using it? Why did James tell these rich people to weep and howl? Well, to begin with he tells them this because their riches are decaying. “Your riches are corrupted, your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver are rusted; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you.” People say “money talks;” it is going to talk at the judgement! Money is going to witness against you or for you and right now money is either going to be a blessing to you or a curse.
Notice what he says, “It shall eat your flesh as if it were fire.” You will be burned by that which you think is a blessing. “You have heaped up treasure together for the last days.” He said you better weep, your riches are decaying and your riches are going to testify against you and the people you have hurt in getting these riches are crying out to God and God’s going to vindicate them. He talks about the hire of the laborers, salaries that had not been paid. He says to these rich people, you’re getting ready for slaughter! God can’t bless you; you’re nourishing your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
That’s true! Just a few years later Jerusalem was completely destroyed. What do we learn from this paragraph in James chapter 5? We learn number one, live for the true riches, the riches of God. Number two, if God has blessed you with riches, use them for His glory. And number three, be sure that the riches when they do talk will witness for you and not witness against you, when you stand before God.
View all episodes
By Back to the BibleJames 5:1-6
The important thing is not how much money we have, but how did we get it and how are we using it. Have we hurt other people in our desire to get more money? Listen to what James writes in James chapter 5 verse1, “Come now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” Now who would think that rich people should be weeping and howling? I thought that if you had enough money you’d never be weeping, howling! Well, James goes on to tell us that these people were depending on their riches. As a consequence, God judged them.
Again, the important thing is not how much money you have, but how did you get it and how are you using it? Why did James tell these rich people to weep and howl? Well, to begin with he tells them this because their riches are decaying. “Your riches are corrupted, your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver are rusted; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you.” People say “money talks;” it is going to talk at the judgement! Money is going to witness against you or for you and right now money is either going to be a blessing to you or a curse.
Notice what he says, “It shall eat your flesh as if it were fire.” You will be burned by that which you think is a blessing. “You have heaped up treasure together for the last days.” He said you better weep, your riches are decaying and your riches are going to testify against you and the people you have hurt in getting these riches are crying out to God and God’s going to vindicate them. He talks about the hire of the laborers, salaries that had not been paid. He says to these rich people, you’re getting ready for slaughter! God can’t bless you; you’re nourishing your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
That’s true! Just a few years later Jerusalem was completely destroyed. What do we learn from this paragraph in James chapter 5? We learn number one, live for the true riches, the riches of God. Number two, if God has blessed you with riches, use them for His glory. And number three, be sure that the riches when they do talk will witness for you and not witness against you, when you stand before God.