James 5:4

4. "[But] look! [Here are] the wages that you have withheld by fraud from the laborers who have reaped your fields, crying out [for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts."

Times have not changed in many ways since those when James was led in the Spirit to write to God's people. Here in verse 4, he denounces wealthy landowners for cheating laborers out of their hard-earned wages. God has tried to deal with man on this very issue as far back as Leviticus 19:13, “You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.”

It is easy to hide behind corporate rules and regulations while continually hacking away at benefits and salary and actually be personally rewarded for your efforts through bonuses. What kind of business intentionally creates monsters like this. But the world does not see things the way God knows works best... things such as the increased productivity of happy, healthy employees... people committed and loyal to a company that takes care of them.

But it was and still is a common problem in a world set against the things of God, isn't it? Look, on your own time at Deut. 24:14-15; Jer. 22:13; and Mal. 3:5. Look at how people lived from paycheck to paycheck as the industry in the United States began to fall. Many corrupt industry leaders (wealthy) pushed for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which allowed them to move there slave-making ethics to Mexico and Canada. Factories all across the nation now lay empty and it's workers stand in line now for Government assistance.

The fruit of greed has come upon it's own people and nothing has escaped God's eye. Most of us are not in the position of paying wages to workers. If we are, we should be generous and fair. But if we’re not, the principle still applies, that it is always wrong to cheat others for our own financial gain.

Let's pick up with James verse 5:5 next time.

I love you.