James: Chapter 5

Wise Use of God’s Riches

5:1

James begins this portion of his letter chastising Rich Believers who have not used their wealth for God’s purposes! Immediately, he tells them to weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon them! Wow, that is a frightening warning to those of us who are ‘rich’. Guess what, we, as Americans, are ALL considered rich according to the world’s standards. We have the most wealth, the most affluence, the most luxurious homes, cars, appliances, all kinds of technologies that make our lives ones of ease and convenience! We wallow in materialism and selfishness, caring little for the sufferings of those less fortunate than ourselves. The love of money is the root of all evil. 1 Timothy 6:10.

5:2-3

Our riches are corrupted, and our garments are moth-eaten? Our Gold and Silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against us; and destroy us. So, how can we think about this in our age? Perhaps our “God and Silver” represents our ‘Investments’. If those investments are for our ultimate ease and pleasure, with no thought of the needs of others, God cannot be pleased. God sees our attitude about our wealth; He sees our self-indulgent ways and thoughts. Those evil desires and feelings James just admonished us about, seem to be shouting in our ears and minds: We need to change our attitudes and actions from Selfish Boasting and Arrogance to an attitude of seeking God’s Will for the Riches He has given us. How much is too much? Only you, and God, can answer that. Consider asking God what He wants you to do with your ‘excess’. That excess is anything you don’t NEED. If you are like most of us, we say, “BUT WHAT IF….” and then we begin to justify why we ‘need’ all those ‘extra’ whatever it may be. Yet, if we are wise planners, planning according to God’s Will, then we will have sufficient material wealth to meet our needs. Notice we may need to make a decision to use our wealth for the NEEDS of others, and sacrifice some of our WANTS. Is this easy? Of course not! But IF God is directing you to help others in need, and you refuse, you are in disobedience. Notice that James is referring to heaping up wealth in the ‘last days’. Are WE in the ‘last days’? Most serious Bible students believe we are in those ‘last days’. So, it appears that James is speaking directly to us.

5:4

Now James is speaking to those who hire others to work for them. Hopefully, you are paying a fair and honest ‘wage’ to all who do work for you. Hopefully, as the laborer, you are also working hard for the wages that are paid to you. If we have not paid someone a ‘fair wage’ for work done for us, we need to correct that sin. If we are the laborer who has not done the best work possible, we need to correct that sin. You and I are probably on both sides of this equation. Note that these scriptures clearly show that citizens have a right to own real property, yet it is their use of the property that can become sinful. The Truth is that the rights of private property ownership and personal liberty are inseparable. If we cannot own any real property, then we cannot have personal liberties. Our right to worship God in Truth and spirit is then seriously jeopardized.

5:5

Are we living on earth in pleasure and luxury? If so, then we have led lives of luxury and self-indulgence. Our lifestyles here in America certainly seem to fit this description. This means we must do some serious self-assessment. Perhaps it is time to begin seriously sacrificing to assist those who are in serious need. Start with areas God has spoken to your heart about. Perhaps more generously donating to your Food Bank, or Samaritans Purse, or other charitable organizations that seek to alleviate hunger and suffering for poor people in our world. Pray about how you can increase your sacrificial giving to help poor, hungry, suffering people in our country and around the world, all in the name of Jesus.

5:6

How have we ‘condemned’ and ‘murdered’ the just? With our LACK of words and actions, by not assisting and standing up for those who have been condemned unfairly! How about those in other countries who have been murdered, and martyred, and yet we have done nothing to help them? It is now time to begin supporting organizations that strive to bring help to these suffering people and their families. You and I know that in our world today thousands of Christians are being condemned and murdered; being martyred. By not doing something to help them, we are, in effect, contributing to their sufferings. Pray about sacrificially supporting Christian organizations that seek to help Christians around the world who are suffering severe injustices, and often death, just because they believe in Jesus.

5:7-8

THEREFORE, be patient, Believers; this type of Patience, is one of active action, being obedient to do whatever ‘opportunity’ God has given us. Those who are actively patient, are looking for the coming of the Lord, Jesus, with ACTIONS. We know He is coming; will He find us faithfully striving for Eternal Fruit? Are we prayerfully searching for every opportunity to share the GOOD NEWS of Salvation with a lost and dying world? Remember, we must help people with both their Spiritual Needs and their Physical Needs, or they will never believe we truly care about them, nor will they come to know how deeply God loves them!

5:9

True Believers will not spend their time and energy grumbling and complaining about ANYTHING. They will take God-directed ACTION. You see a problem, so what does God want YOU to do about it? How can YOU assist in doing God’s work here on earth in your own sphere of influence? At work? In Church? In our community? Our Nation? Wherever God places us, we must look for opportunities to reach the lost for Jesus. Begin now, to speak the Truth of Jesus, in Love, in every area of your life. Jesus is standing at the door of eternity, judging our thoughts and actions.

5:10

James reminds us to look at the Prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example to us of suffering and patience. We must persevere in doing whatever we can, wherever we can, to bring forth Eternal Fruit for the Kingdom of God. The time is coming when some of us will be called upon to suffer for Jesus. Are you ready? You should be! Jesus warned us repeatedly that “IF you are truly My followers, you WILL SUFFER for my name’s sake.” God is NOT punishing Believers when He allows suffering to enter our lives, He is BLESSING us by giving us the opportunity of changing our attitude and character to become more like Jesus! Use the sufferings that come upon you, to allow the Holy Spirit to transform you! This is how SANCTIFICATION is performed in our lives. Remember, if we fail to speak out for Jesus, and support those who strive to share the Gospel in good times, we will never have the courage to speak out for Jesus in tough times.

5:11

We often stumble at the thought of enduring through a trial as being ‘blessed’. Why? Because we fail to realize that the ONLY WAY, we can possibly stand strong and endure whatever trial we are facing, is because of the Mercy and Grace of the Holy Spirit within us. God alone provides the strength and fortitude to endure and persevere! Never think, falsely, that you somehow mustered the courage to persevere. Perseverance is always the result of our obedience to the Power of the Holy Spirit within our souls and spirits.

5:12

This reference to ‘swearing’ means our speaking. Words are powerful, and our words will bring goodness or evil depending on what, and how we speak. We must guard our speech; seeking to speak only the Truth of God’s Word into our lives and the lives of others. ‘Yes, or No’, means that we are Truthful and loving in our speech. We must NOT compromise the Truth to accommodate anyone, or in any situation. If we use our speech to judge ANYONE, we are acting out of arrogance. Only God is to judge. Certainly, we must speak out against any evil, and act in faithfulness, but God will judge all those who commit evil. Our faithfulness means we will take action against the evil being committed. How? Personally, in our own lives and our sphere of influence, as well as support those who seek to expose evil and provide God’s goodness.

5:13

SUFFERING. Not our favorite topic, is it? Yet, we all experience it in some way, to different degrees. If you are not suffering in some way right now, be thankful, and seek ways to help others who are suffering. If you ARE suffering, notice that the first thing the Holy Spirit tells us to do is PRAY! This is exactly what we should ALREADY be doing every moment of our lives. What? Pray ALL the time? Yes! Remember, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit!” Memorizing, and praying this Scripture into your life, will change you forever! If we pray without ceasing, we will not fret and worry, because we are seeking God’s mercy and grace; and receiving it as we pray! Suffering? Then we pray, asking for God’s strength and power to endure the suffering; seeking to learn the ‘lessons’ He is trying to teach us. Perhaps it is just learning to persevere in the face of adversity. That is exactly what Jesus did His entire life! You want to be more like Jesus? Then prepare for suffering and learning to persevere and endure whatever God allows in your life. Avoid the pity party! That is not persevering. Be joyful, thankful, appreciative of the blessings you DO have. Thank God for allowing you the privilege of suffering for His sake. Rejoice Always, Pray without stopping, Give Thanks in EVERY SITUATION! This is how a mature Believer will live and act, no matter what suffering enters their life. Are you prepared? Are you seeking God’s Will? REALLY? Take a good, honest look at how you respond to any type or kind of suffering! As you pray God’s Word into your life, don’t rush, take time to experience His Word, let it sink deep into your mind and soul, and absorb His Word into your very being.

5:14

SICKNESS. Another area all of us suffer with to some degree. Again, our first response is PRAYER. We admit we need prayer from others, by humbly asking and seeking prayers from others. Serious illnesses should cause us to humble ourselves and ask Believers to pray over us. ‘Elders’ could refer to any mature Believer. Even being anointed with oil, in the name of the Lord, shows our Trust in God’s Word. All these actions show our Trust in Jesus, His Word, and our belief in prayer. We say we want to be like Jesus; then this is the ultimate test in our life, the sufferings, trials, tribulations; whatever the situation may be, we must respond first with prayer, thankfulness, rejoicing, and perseverance, always seeking God’s perfect will for our lives. God will BLESS you as you Pray. God ALWAYS gives us His Best, as we obey Him.

5:15

Be careful to understand that the prayer of faith will save the sick, not necessarily be a guarantee of complete physical healing. As the Lord ‘raises him up’, this could mean complete physical healing; yet immediately notice that the emphasis is on forgiveness of sins.

5:16

Confession. Our admission of our sins must first be to ourselves and God. God clearly tells us that we must confess and repent. Just admitting the sin is not true confession, we must repent, that is, turn away from, evil actions and thoughts. If we have harmed another, then we must FIRST admit our wrong and seek God’s direction regarding how we should confess to that person. Then our confession of our sin should be to the person we have harmed. We admit we committed a wrongdoing, and ask for forgiveness, being mindful that we must be prepared to make amends for the harm we have caused. This can be difficult, and sometimes we cannot ‘undo’ the damage we have caused. Praying for one another for healing may be for spiritual healing, or physical healing, or for both. The ultimate ‘healing’ is for our souls and spirits. We NEED forgiveness and healing. Ultimately all forgiveness and healing, both spiritual and physical, comes from God.

The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

5:17

Understanding that the previous sentence refers to this verse, helps clarify the reference to Elijah. We are told that Elijah had a human nature just like us, that is, he was sinful. Yet he prayed earnestly… See 1 Kings 17 and 18. Elijah stated that there would be no rain for three- and one-half years. Yet the Jewish Talmud states that Elijah prayed for rain to be withheld from the land for three- and one-half years. God is the one who withheld rain from the land for that entire time. This was a judgement on the disobedient King Ahab and the Jewish people, who were sacrificing their children to false gods. Then after the predicted 3 ½ years of no rain, then Elijah was told to pray for the rain to come, and it came, allowing the earth to once again produce crops to feed the people and animals. When we read the entire verses from 1 Kings, referred to in these verses; we understand that Elijah was praying in OBEDIENCE to God’s direction, despite the severe sufferings he also had to endure for three- and one-half years. Think you are suffering for a long time … how about how severe the sufferings were for Elijah, even WHEN he was obedient to God’s commands? Remember, it’s NOT about us, it’s about God’s Eternal Plans!

5:19-20

James last plea to us, as Believers, is that if anyone wanders away from the Truth of God’s Word, that we would share the True Truth with them, and bring them back into God’s Word. In the current world of lies and half-truths (really lies in disguise) and all sorts of false teachings, even in our churches, we MUST be diligent in correctly understanding God’s Word. Turning a sinner from the error of his ways, clearly is a reference to teaching the truth of God’s Word to unbelievers, and to Christians, who are believing false teachings. The unbeliever, who becomes a Believer, will be saved from hell. The Christian, who is given the Truth, will be covered from a multitude of sins. Many people, who are Christians, have been deceived into promoting, or participating, in things that are not of God; thus, they are evil. So, helping Believers correctly understand God’s Word is crucial in these last days. Praying the Truth of God’s Word, on a daily basis, is crucial to being effective in this spiritual battle we are in, in these, the last days before the return of Jesus as Lord, God, and Ruler of Heaven and earth.

What a powerful, and challenging, book the Holy Spirit has given us to study and apply to our lives. There are no short cuts, or quick methods, to learning and applying God’s Eternal Word to our lives. It is a day by day, moment by moment consistent struggle to be obedient to the Holy Spirit within us. May each of us humble ourselves, seeking to understand and obey the will of God as the Holy Spirit reveals His Truth to us. The powerful and emotional language James uses in this book should jolt us into prayerful action on a daily basis. Our lives, the lives of our family and friends, even our world, are all at stake for all eternity. Nothing is more serious than this fierce spiritual battle you and I are involved in. We dare not ignore the importance of praying, studying and obeying God’s Word.

Jesus told us: “Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but My Word will endure for all Eternity.”
Shalom