Hey James, CALM DOWN!

Let's start here.

Read this:

Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure[a] for the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you. James 5:1-6 NRSV.

Hey James, calm down! Why are you so worked up about wealth and riches? Is money really the problem? I have grown up my whole life thinking that money is a problem, that it is wrong to make lots of money or want to have more wealth. That is the biggest lie I have believed for far too long. Money is not the problem. In order to be generous towards anything good or decent we must actually have the money to do it. So, James, why are you so angry? And, did you just say that my riches are going to eat my flesh like fire? GOODNIGHT!!!

CALM DOWN JAMES!

So, what is James, the brother of Jesus, saying and also not saying?

Well, he is for sure acting more like a prophet right now than a pastor. And, he's laying down some serious, uncomfortable warnings here.

Money is not the problem; being stingy and greedy is. Listen, it is the love of money that brings about all kinds of evils and wrongs. Money is not a problem. We need money to live and survive. God gave us the ability to make money and live within our means. The reason James is so mad is that these people have not used their wealth to help anyone but themselves. Not cool.

Saving is not the problem, spending only on yourself is the problem. James wanted the church to invest in things that would last for eternity; investing in God's kingdom and helping spread the message of Christ to the utmost regions of the earth. When we only live for ourselves and our pleasures, there is a danger to the wealth we have.

Having a business is not wrong, robbing your employees is. James is not saying we should throw out business ventures or not pursue being self-employed. What he is saying is that if you have a business or you’re a boss of some sort, make sure you are not controlling, stingy and robbing people by paying a poor wage. If you are, look out! The God who owns the armies of heaven is coming after you and you’re in for a massive course correction.

So, why is James so upset?

Well, to sum it up: people are living for themselves, storing treasures that will not last.

They are greedy.

They are stingy.

They are crooks and robbers.

They are living in luxury.

They are forgetting Christ and his Kingdom.

They are not pursuing one inch towards generosity and self-sacrifice.

Maybe James does not need to calm down? Maybe we need to raise our voice and get fiery like James about our own spending and wealth management.

Maybe we need to take some inventory on how we are stewarding our money.

Maybe we need to ask God to grace us to become more generous, less materialistic or fearful about the future.

Maybe we need to get angry with how the poor and downcast are treated.

Maybe we need to fight for the voiceless and downtrodden and speak up for those who need us.

Perhaps it’s time that we calm our souls in order for Christ to reach and have control of one of the most difficult areas of our hearts to release to Him.

James 1:17 reminds us that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from down from the Father of heavenly lights. Clearly, all that we’ve been given is a love gift from God. May we hold our earthly “riches” loosely and allow Him to help us steward well what He has provided. When we do this, we will truly be free to partner with Him to see His kingdom purposes fulfilled in and through us!