March 31 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 90—James 5:1–6

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; you have murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Devotional:

Look closely at this text. We’ve seen that it assumes several New Testament principles: (1) you live in the last days; (2) the last of the last days will be the Day of the Lord, the day when our Lord Jesus returns in power and glory; (3) therefore, in the meantime, you are to orient all your priorities in light of that glorious hope. How does it apply these principles?

For one thing, do not be like the wicked rich. The wicked rich get their wealth at the expense of their neighbors, who God commands them instead to love. "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" (v. 4).

Moreover, the wicked rich use their wealth for "self-indulgence"—to exalt and serve themselves rather than the Lord. "You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter" (v. 5).

Even worse, the wicked rich are so devoted to material things that they simply don’t care how their getting them and hanging on to them might hurt other people. "You have condemned and murdered the righteous man" (v. 6a).

Elsewhere, God warns that "…those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (1 Tim 6:9–10).

Do not be like the wicked rich. Above all, do not be one of them. Follow Christ and take hold of that which is truly life. "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." (1 Tim 6:17–19).

Click here for background on the author of Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James for Secret or Family Worship.