Woe to the Wicked Rich-James 5:1-6

Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green says he does not view himself as the true owner of the multibillion-dollar company he built. Instead, he believes God owns everything and that he has simply been entrusted to manage it faithfully. “We’re stewards. We are not owners,” Green has explained, pointing to Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” That conviction has shaped how the Green family uses the company’s success. Hobby Lobby gives more than 50% of its profits to Christian causes, including Bible translation, evangelism, church planting, and ministries sharing the Gospel around the world. Through its foundation and ministry partners, the family has invested more than $1 billion into Christian work. Hobby Lobby started with a $600 loan and has grown into a company with more than 1,000 stores and annual sales exceeding $8 billion. Green says the purpose of continued growth is not simply accumulating more wealth—it is creating more opportunities to tell people about Jesus. His testimony is a reminder that success is not measured only by what we gain, but by how faithfully we use what God places in our hands. Whether it is money, influence, talent, or time, everything can be used for His glory and the advancement of the Gospel. “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” — 1 Corinthians 4:2 Jesus warned that man cannot serve two masters, but needs to store up treasures in heaven, because where his treasure is, his heart is also (Matt 6:19-24). Nothing more clearly reveals the state of a person's heart than his view of money and material possessions. This coming Lord's Day James will address the sad state of unbelievers who have made this world their home, whose allegiance is themselves alone. Join us for "Woe to the Wicked Rich" (Jas 5:1-6). We need to learn here what brings this impending judgment of God, that we might steer as far away from it as possible.