“When you beat the olives off your olive tree, you are not to search through the branches again; that shall be left for the stranger, the orphan, and for the widow.
“When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you are not to go over it again; that shall be left for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.”
Deuteronomy 24:20-22

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. Come now, you rich people, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have corroded, and their corrosion will serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of armies. You have lived for pleasure on the earth and lived luxuriously; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous person; he offers you no resistance.
James 4:17-5:6

Wealth, like food, has an expiration date. Both are better used by those who are hungry than left to rot by those who have plenty. The one who withholds his excess is worthy of shame; do good for others and God will return blessings to you.

Ethan Kirl

Originally Published June 8, 2021