James in chapter 5, verses 1-6 is tough love. He says, “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.” Tough words. Tough love.
James didn’t stutter or stumble. He didn’t mince words. He speaks truth. He tells us straight out about what terrible consequences we will endure if we become so comfortable in our wealth that we become complacent, we ignore the needs of the poor, and worse, if we think we’re so rich we don’t need God. Moses warned us about this, too, in Deuteronomy 8: 12-14, “lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built fine houses and lived in them, your silver and gold has increased, and all your property has increased, you then become haughty of heart and forget the LORD, your God.”
He goes on to say it won’t go well for us if we forget God, if we stop seeking first His kingdom and instead, we go so far as to withhold wages (alms) from the workers (the poor). Benjamin Franklin said it this way, “A full belly is the mother of all evil.”
What obstacles does money put before you, causing you to sin and hindering your bringing God’s love and compassion to others? Eliminate them. Mark’s Gospel tells us that if something causes us to sin, to cut it out (Mk 9:43-48). How? By putting God first – first in our hearts, and first in our finances. Invest your wealth in the needs of the poor – the incorruptible treasures of heaven. St. Augustine is known to have said, “God has no need of your money. But the poor have. Give to the poor and you give to God.”
Give to help the poor. Doing so is like giving a cup of cold water to those who belong to Christ (Mk 9:41). Doing so allows God to use you as a vessel of His mercy.
Photo Credit: Robert Davis
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Jesus teaches that we are called to serve others. He tells us in Mark 9:35 that if we wish to be first, we shall be the last of all and the servant of all. We put ourselves last and sacrifice for the good of others. To sacrifice sounds like hardship, not an activity we’d enthusiastically seek out. But, did you know that sacrifice means to make sacred, to make holy? 
We hear God say to us who have fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened; Then the lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute tongue sing for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the Arabah (Isaiah 35:4-6). Then in Mark 7 where Jesus healed the deaf mute, He cries out, 
Do not be deceived, my beloved: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. (James 1:16-17,22) What a great stewardship verse. Everything is from God. It is not enough to hear this truth. We must put it into practice. We must Give and Do. 
God owns everything and God gives us everything – every single thing. Every moment of time. Every ounce of talent and ability. Every dime of treasure we earn when we employ our talents through time. This truth lays the foundation of what our mindset should be towards money. Living Stewardship means we embrace this truth. We acknowledge that everything we have and everything we are is gift from God. And so in overwhelming gratefulness, we receive HIs gifts, we manage them well, and in all humility, we respond to God’s love and blessings by generously sharing these resources – including money – with those in need.