James 5:1-6
Food for Thought
Ice Breaker: Describe a time when someone refused to give you something you deserved. What were you owed? What had you earned?
What impact did not getting it have on you and/or others?
What did that experience tell you about the other person’s values?
James comes out of the gate with a vivid picture: wealthy people dressed in moth-eaten clothes, weeping and wailing over their rotting, rusting treasure. Why would he lead with that when addressing the rich people in the room?
Read Deuteronomy 8:10-14, Mark 10:17-25, and 1 Timothy 6:6-10. Why does the bible give warning after warning specifically to the rich… and those who want to be rich?
Is being rich a curse? …a blessing? …something else?
James says that the corrosion that’s eating away at their riches will one day eat away at their flesh like fire. Why will the rich share the same fate as their treasure?
Read Matthew 6:19-21. Who all does Jesus include in that same principle? Is it only the rich?
Knowing that no one likes to be called out on their sin, James lists a number of things that serve as “witnesses” against the wicked. What are they? (ex: hoarded, unused, corroded treasure; cries of workers)
What witnesses do you have in your life that speak to how—and who—you really are when it comes to however much or little you have?
What does those witnesses say? Are any more convicting than the others?
Take note of all of the “You haves” listed in this passage. How do their own actions speak against them?
If it seems harsh to say the rich have condemned the righteous, read James 2:1-4 again. How does James see it?
If it seems harsh to say the rich have murdered the righteous, read James 4:1-3 again. How does James see the involvement of having earthly things (or not!) in violence?
Why does God care so much about…
…how we get what we’ve got?
…what we do with what we’ve got?
We hear a lot of about what will condemn the rich in the end. Do we hear anything about what the rich (and all of us!) should do instead?
How are the righteous described? Does that feel helpful or unhelpful?
Read Matthew 13:44 and 1 Timothy 6:17-19. What does repentance in this area look like for you?
How can you tangibly move from fattening your hearts with the things of this world to making them healthier in Jesus?
Where do you need to depend on Jesus so that you can be generous, fair, faithful, content, and/or free from the love of money?
Reflection Questions
Where are you currently trusting in your own efforts or earthly treasures rather than resting in God?
How does knowing Christ gave up His life for you free you to let go of worldly treasure and treasure Him above all else?
Walking in that gospel freedom today, what is one tangible way you can live with open-handed love toward God and your neighbor?