The Letter of St. James
Chapter
5
¹ Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. ² Your riches have rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verses 1 to 3)
Oh, brothers and sisters, kindly make note that God has nothing personal against our being rich and wealthy, however, when our lives are determined and conditioned by money this becomes a problem because a barrier is created in our relationship with both Him and even our brothers and sisters. If one has riches may we be generous and share with those who have not. May we overcome our natural avarice and drive to have more with the excuse of securing our future and not being in need. God is our future it is in his control and not ours. We might be saving for a private pension, however, we do not have an assurance that we will live up to that age.
I pray that we live one day at a time and trust in God who knows what we need and exactly when we need it Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
⁴ Listen! The wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 4)
Oh God my Father, I thank You for being totally just loving and considerate, for doing justice where we are unjust, for being loving when we lack others in love. I pray that You look at the situation of my daughter and myself and do justice on all accounts Amen. Thank You, Jesus. I totally depend on You. Amen.
⁵ You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verses 5 to 6)
Oh God my Father if You look at me and our generation at large You will find a lot of issues on which to judge us, however, I pray for mercy for there are also those of us who are using their time well in being of service and support to others Amen.
⁷ Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 7)
Oh brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ I realize the need to be patient. For me, this is a challenge since I have the bad habit of rushing and end up doing many mistakes. Oh God, my Father, I pray that You teach me no to rush but to wait on You always and in relation to all the present and future issues of my life Amen. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
⁸ You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord, is near. ⁹ Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verses 8 to 9)
Oh God, my Father I pray for patience for I have a tendency to rush things. Thanks, Jesus. Amen.
¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 10)
Oh God my Father You are my perfect example of suffering, my role model, in suffering You were patient and accepted all that was happening as being according to the will of God our Father and so should we Amen.
¹¹ Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 11)
Oh God my Father if Job could have been merciful by having been blessed, I pray that You bless us so that we can also be merciful with others instead of being judgmental and harsh in our attitude Amen. I pray that You give us the gift of sharing in this be attitude Amen.
¹² Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "Yes" be yes and your "No" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 12)
Oh God my Father I pray that You purify my heart and mind and even my soul so that Your truth will always reign in me and be victorious over the forces of evil that tempt me. Help me to admit doubt when and where necessary even if I am portrayed as being weak and lacking in details in a situation. Amen. Giving no information is far better than giving wrong information Amen.
¹³ Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 13 to 14)
Oh, brothers and sisters whether in sickness or in health we are to give praise and thanksgiving to the Lord and Father Jesus Christ, for all flows from Him and he has the power of healing our minds, body and even our souls. Through Him, flow graces beyond graces Amen.
¹⁵ The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sin will be forgiven.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 15)
Oh brothers and sisters how glorifying and powerful is this prayer, let us all join in this mighty song as commanded us by our Lord Father Almighty Jesus Christ our Father Amen: credit to us by Hilltop Worship-
⁴ Listen! The wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 4)
Oh God my Father, I thank You for being totally just loving and considerate, for doing justice where we are unjust, for being loving when we lack others in love. I pray that You look at the situation of my daughter and myself and do justice on all accounts Amen. Thank You, Jesus. I totally depend on You. Amen.
⁵ You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verses 5 to 6)
Oh God my Father if You look at me and our generation at large You will find a lot of issues on which to judge us, however, I pray for mercy for there are also those of us who are using their time well in being of service and support to others Amen.
⁷ Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 7)
Oh brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ I realize the need to be patient. For me, this is a challenge since I have the bad habit of rushing and end up doing many mistakes. Oh God, my Father, I pray that You teach me no to rush but to wait on You always and in relation to all the present and future issues of my life Amen. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
⁸ You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord, is near. ⁹ Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verses 8 to 9)
Oh God, my Father I pray for patience for I have a tendency to rush things. Thanks, Jesus. Amen.
¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 10)
Oh God my Father You are my perfect example of suffering, my role model, in suffering You were patient and accepted all that was happening as being according to the will of God our Father and so should we Amen.
¹¹ Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 11)
Oh God my Father if Job could have been merciful by having been blessed, I pray that You bless us so that we can also be merciful with others instead of being judgmental and harsh in our attitude Amen. I pray that You give us the gift of sharing in this be attitude Amen.
¹² Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "Yes" be yes and your "No" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 12)
Oh God my Father I pray that You purify my heart and mind and even my soul so that Your truth will always reign in me and be victorious over the forces of evil that tempt me. Help me to admit doubt when and where necessary even if I am portrayed as being weak and lacking in details in a situation. Amen. Giving no information is far better than giving wrong information Amen.
¹³ Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 13 to 14)
Oh, brothers and sisters whether in sickness or in health we are to give praise and thanksgiving to the Lord and Father Jesus Christ, for all flows from Him and he has the power of healing our minds, body and even our souls. Through Him, flow graces beyond graces Amen.
¹⁵ The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sin will be forgiven.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 15)
Oh brothers and sisters how glorifying and powerful is this prayer, let us all join in this mighty song as commanded us by our Lord Father Almighty Jesus Christ our Father Amen: credit to us by Hilltop Worship-
¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verse 16)
Oh God, my Father how great is the power of prayer when it is made in a sincere and honest way. This week-end You proved to me such immense power. You are able to reverse any spiritual and biological condition and restore order Amen. Blessed be Your Holy Name.
¹⁷ Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months, it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verses 17 to 18)
Oh God, my Father Elijah is one of many Old Testament characters whose prayers were answered with a tremendous response that was reflected by nature. Throughout my life, I have also met persons of faith who have prayed fervently and had their prayers answered. A living testimony is my own self. Many times oh Father You have immediately answered my prayers. I thank You for the power of praise Amen.
¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, ²⁰ you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
(The Fifth Chapter of the Letter of St. James verses 19 to 20)
Oh, brothers and sisters, the message is therefore clear. May it be our mission of saving as many souls from perdition. I, therefore, pray for the faith, the skill and the opportunity of fulfilling such a role for the good of humanity Amen.
Oh God my Father, I would like to end this meditation on the fifth and final chapter of the Letter of St. James with the following prayer:-
Oh God, my Father, I am a tool in Your hands, use me to be of help to others, especially those who for some reason have wandered away from the faith. I pray that we are all blessed with the gift of faith, power of praise, and the opportunity of saving as many souls as possible Amen.
In order to continue meditating on the Word of God I invite you to click on the following link which takes you to the First Letter of St. Peter:-
