Why has God given most of us more than we need? The reason God has given us more than we need is to help those in need. When you have been blessed with more than you need, it’s not your need that God has in mind. You have been blessed to be a blessing.

READ James 5:1-6

Ouch! The whole tone of this passage is harsh and condemnatory. It’s a severe, OT prophet-like pronouncement of God’s judgment coming upon these rich people, and there’s no call to repentance and, really, no hope for repentance. It’s a simple statement of fact—“God has seen your sin, and judgment is coming upon you.” The question is: Who is James talking to? Who are these “rich” people he’s so down on? The commentators say that James' first target of this stingy rebuke is wealthy Jewish unbelievers who are the perpetrators of the persecution James’s friends are experiencing.

In the style of an Old Testament prophet, James pronounces God’s coming judgment upon the unrighteous rich—on those who are making life hard for the poor and needy Jewish Christians that he knows are losing heart because it doesn’t seem like God is working to change their circumstances for the better. How is this pronouncement of God’s coming judgment on these unrighteous rich people supposed to help God’s suffering people? James encourages them to be patient and steadfast and to “establish” their hearts in the rock-solid truth that God is compassionate and merciful. He wants them to know that they can experience God’s mercy and compassion as they put their faith into action in ways that reflect “heavenly wisdom.”

He’s also saying, “Don’t envy the rich and famous, and don’t emulate their way of life.” The fact is, these hurting Jewish believers are very much capable of envying the lifestyles of the rich and wanting to emulate their lifestyles. It’s true—Christ-followers sometimes do follow the ways of the world in order to better themselves in the world. When I forget why God has blessed me with more than I need, I can begin to think it’s for me. That’s what happens when a man or woman forgets why God has blessed them with more than they need.

So, the question is: Why is it that so many of us have more than we need? Why has God blessed us so richly? What does God expect from us?