Daily Bible Study

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Day 167 James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned; you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is compassionate and merciful. Why do people want to become rich? What do they think they will gain with all their riches? You often hear about people with wealth and riches in the news, and most of it isn’t flattering. James told the people that those who were rich often defrauded people. Their riches were corroded and people who worked for them condemned them because of their evil practices. Instead, he told the people to wait patiently for the Lord as a farmer waited for the fruit of his labors. They weren’t to grumble or complain but wait because God blessed those who waited and endured with the same patience as Job who knew God’s compassionate and merciful nature. Many Christians seek wealth and riches. They believe it will help them to be better Christians. Instead, when they get a little wealth, they forget the promises they made to God and live for themselves. They don’t realize the wealth they have in their relationship with Christ Jesus. Christians who live for God are rich far more than those with wealth. When they see a need, they give, even when it looks like they have nothing to give. They know that whatever they give to those in need, God will supply their needs back to them, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Jesus told His disciples the parable of the sower and how the cares of the world worked against them, but when they sowed the Word of God, they bore fruit. Matthew 13:18 “Therefore, hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” You want to produce fruit in your life. You can only do that when the riches of this world don’t corrupt your thoughts. You need to wait on the Lord to produce fruit in your life. Just as the farmer waits for the harvest, you need to wait for the Lord. When you wait, He will bless you because of His compassionate and merciful nature. Let’s pray: Father, help me to be content with what I have, knowing You will bless me in the work I do for You. Help me to keep my eyes on You and not on the world and its riches which corrupt the soul. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 30 December 2023 by Valerie Routhieaux The image belongs to me.