Saturday, August 1, 2026

Opening Scripture

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:3-7

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you that Your mercies are new again today! Help me to grasp Your incredible love and kindness, forgiveness and grace. Again, I give myself completely to You. Fill me with Your Spirit. Help me have the mind of Christ. Show me Your will and help me walk in Your way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

James 5

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Reflection  

James opens today’s passage sounding like an Old Testament prophet as he lashes out at the danger and misery of greed and hoarding wealth. His tone seems much too personal to be just a general warning. He likely has certain individuals in mind as he roars his rebuke.

James has previously painted a depiction of the “rich” and “poor” with broad strokes. He now picks up the same brush again, makes his case against the rich, and names their crimes.

In Chapter 2, James asks his listeners, “Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?”

Now, he addresses those individuals directly. “Listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.”

The “capital offenses” here are exploiting the workers and disregarding the poor. This goes well beyond Timothy’s warning about greed. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10).

James declares that the lifestyle and business practices of some in the church completely contradict their claim to be followers of Jesus. His condemnation calls for the same remedy as in yesterday’s reading.

“Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” The guilty need to engage in a time of confession, repentance, and restitution.

The Bible takes exploitation seriously. Exploiting others involves taking unfair advantage of them for one’s own benefit at their expense. Financially, physically, or emotionally – through deception, force, or power imbalance – exploitation rejects God’s loving character and righteous command.

Leviticus 19:13 says, “Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.” Those who live day-to-day are especially at risk of exploitation.

God expects His people to renounce all forms of oppression and to act with integrity, justice, and compassion. Scripture consistently emphasizes the importance of fairness without favoritism and generosity without greed.

James goes on to encourage unity in the church. He calls on his listeners to live with patience and perseverance, with compassion and mercy, and without swearing or grumbling as they look forward to the Lord’s imminent return. Among God’s people, there should be an abundance of prayer, singing, confession, anointing, forgiveness, and helping each other turn back from sin. May it be so!

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”

James previously warned his listeners about the danger of trusting in wealth and material possessions. He reminded the rich that they will “pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.”

In today’s passage, James very graphically emphasizes the degrading influence of greed and the sad outcome for those who put their hope and trust in riches. “Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.”

James states that there’s a certain spiritual and moral decay spreading in the souls of those who put their faith and future solely in their possessions. He even implies that going “all in” on crass accumulation perpetuates a system of underlying corruption.

Again, that approach to life reminds us of Jesus’ parable in Luke 12:16-21. “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

We have covered a LOT of ground this week with James. He crammed a tremendous amount of practical doctrine, ethics, theology, and discipleship into these five chapters. While certain themes are obvious, God’s Word speaks very personally to each of us according to our specific need.

What has the Spirit stirred in your heart this week as you have reflected on the Word of God?

What do you need to do so you’re not guilty of simply being a hearer of the Word, “and so deceiving yourself”?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!