READ: JAMES 5:1–11
God sees economic injustice, cares about it, and responds. We should, too.
James 5 is one of the New Testament's most uncomfortable passages. James speaks directly to the wealthy: your riches have rotted, your clothes are moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded. Then he names the reason. The wages withheld from the workers who mowed their fields are crying out, and those cries have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
This isn't a word about being rich in the abstract. It's about wealth gained and kept at someone else's expense. James sees a system where some lived in luxury while the workers went unpaid. And he insists that God was listening the whole time.
COMPLAINING TO GOD, PLEADING TO GOD’S PEOPLE
Craig Blomberg makes a striking suggestion in light of this passage. He invites Christians to bring their complaints about injustice to God, especially on behalf of the poor and oppressed, and to call God's people toward greater compassion, generosity, and sacrifice.
That posture has two directions. Upward, we lament and pray, refusing to treat injustice as normal. Outwardly, we speak to our own community, asking whether our habits and budgets reflect the God who hears the cries of underpaid workers.
For us, this isn’t distant. Our city carries deep economic divides: neighborhoods shaped by disinvestment, rising rents that push longtime neighbors out, and workers whose wages don't cover the cost of living. These are the kinds of injustices we're called to pray about and to respond to.
WHEN THE PASSAGES POINT TO US
James' words don't only expose others. They expose our own hearts. Many of us benefit from systems we didn't design but rarely question. The goods we buy, the places we live, and the comforts we enjoy can be tied to someone else's hardship.
That isn't a call to paralysis or shame. It's a call to faithful stewardship. How we use personal and church resources can either reinforce injustice or push against it. Paying fairly, giving generously, investing in our neighbors, and supporting the vulnerable are all ways to release riches before they rot.
PATIENCE AND HOPE
James ends not in despair but in hope. He calls believers to be patient, like a farmer waiting for the rain, because the Lord's coming is near. The cross is God's promise that injustice will not have the last word. At the cross, Jesus bore the judgment we deserved. In his return, he will set every wrong right for us, our city, and the world.
Until then, we wait with open hands and active love.
REFLECTION
What economic injustices are in our city? How should we be praying about and responding to them?
How do James' words expose our hearts and our complicity in systemic oppression? How should this passage shape how we steward personal and church resources?
How does the cross promise ultimate justice for us, our city, and the world?
FOUR DEVOTIONAL LESSONS ABOUT MONEY
“Neither Poverty, Nor Riches” is a devotional that walks through four biblical texts—from Proverbs, Luke, 2 Corinthians, and James—alongside Craig Blomberg's Neither Poverty nor Riches, built on the conviction that few things reveal the heart like money. But, there’s hope. There’s always good news! Through God's great generosity toward us in Christ, we can become "more content, generous, and just people."
Each entry follows the same arc—Scripture reading, teaching, and reflection questions.
Check out the entire devotional —> DOWNLOAD
