9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. James 1:9-11
Sometimes, it’s easy to gloss over these verses, because they aren’t exactly black and white, or simple to understand. The sad thing is, we miss out on some very important information when we skim the Word of God! So let’s take a look at this chunk of scripture and see if we can gain some understanding today.
I started off by consulting Matthew Henry’s commentary. I love what he has to say about this passage:
No condition of life is such as to hinder rejoicing in God. Those of low degree may rejoice, if they are exalted to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom of God; and the rich may rejoice in humbling providences, that lead to a humble and lowly disposition of mind. Worldly wealth is a withering thing. Then, let him that is rich rejoice in the grace of God, which makes and keeps him humble; and in the trials and exercises which teach him to seek happiness in and from God, not from perishing enjoyments.
How true it is, that our sinful hearts tend to turn away from God, in some degree, when we are financially “established.” When things are good, and money abounds…when bills aren’t such a worrisome thing…how is our dependence on God at these times? If we are honest, we will agree it is much more natural to depend on our resources than our God’s resources.
When the bottom falls out, we loose a job, a big client, our house…don’t we tend to cling more readily to the Father? Doesn’t our faith grow? Don’t we depend on the Lord and see His hand working and His loving care for us? I know my faith has grown, and I have seen His hand workign for my good! The sad thing is, in this page of history, credit abounds and our faith wanes. We don’t need to wait on the Lord… we have Visa, Master Card and Discover. Have you ever wondered how many miracles you have missed out on because of a little piece of plastic? Think about that for a minute…
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I will use Sugar Belle’s accident as an example. Sure, we could have taken out a loan and paid all those bills and paid, and paid, and paid until she was 30, and then maybe pay some more. But the Lord spoke to our hearts, and reminded us that He cares for us, and that,
…my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
This time, we chose to rely on God’s resources, and waited on His timing…and it’s done! My patience on His resources only had to last one year. That’s so much better than my patience with my resources, which would have lasted 20, 25, 30 years, who knows.
Remember my quote from a few weeks ago?
Stop what you’re doing that can be measured profitably in the eyes of men, make your life a dwelling place for God to take pleasure and be in honored in. –Jason Brown
We find a double reward when we rely on the Lord, rather than our financial achievements. Our faith grows, and our inheritance in heaven grows. Financial gains on this earth are going to fade away…seemingly as quickly as a flower. Don’t rely on them. Rely on our great God, glory in His provision, and build your kingdom inheritance.