An Eternal Perspective on Wealth

The message of James is revolutionary. It beckons us to stop going on with life as usual. It calls us to something higher. It pleads for us to walk against the strong current of popular society and live lives of faith that produce works of righteousness. Neither Jesus, Paul, nor James were saying that wealth is somehow inherently evil. But, what they were all saying is that the desire to be rich is a dangerous pull that will lead to all kinds of evil. Whether we are rich or poor, or somewhere in between, we all have a choice as to how we will use our wealth. And God’s way is to use it to bless others. When we do that, Jesus says, we bless him.