James 1:9-12. PERSEVERE UNDER TRIAL – Devotional 5-4-19

James 1:9-12         Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 1:12     5-4-19

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (12) ESV

Dear Lord, thank you for this study on the book of James. Teach us the secrets of the Kingdom of God. teach us more about yourself. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: True Riches And Things That Fade (9-11)

Verses 9-11, “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” (ESV)

God exalts the humble and puts down the proud. The brother in humble circumstances (poor) can be a spiritual leader among God’s people. James 2:5 says that God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom. On the other hand, those who have material abundance (the rich), should not take pride in their material possessions. They should take pride only in the cross of Jesus. Why? It is because the things of the world pass away like wild flowers in the hot sun.

I love the way that the word of God helps me to place everything in the proper perspective. In this world money is everything. Getting more and more money is the pursuit of most people. Those with the most money get the most respect in the secular world. They are promoted to positions of honor.

I do concede that those with money and riches in this world can do a lot of good for a lot of people, if they manage their wealth well. They provide jobs. They fund community projects; they can give to the poor. As long as they keep their money moving then it gets used for good.

But in the church, money does not matter for position. I want to make it perfectly clear that a person with wealth can be truly spiritual person and a wonderful leader in the church. I have met many people like this. But if a person is not spiritual, but has a lot of money, they are position of humiliation. They cannot fool true Christians. Their spiritual condition is obvious.

A materially poor person, who is very spiritual will also be obvious. They should be moved into positions of leadership in the church if they are qualified.

The Bible teaches us that possessing worldly wealth should make a Christian humble. They must be self-aware that they have been blessed by God in order to serve others. They also must be humble because they are in a very precarious position where their hearts can be dragged away by a love for money. They need remain humble and dependent on Jesus alone.

The poor man is in a position of exaltation within the church. Jesus was poor. He had no place to lay his head. It seems to me that it would be a lot easier to follow Jesus in this respect, when we are poor. When we are poor then we have ample opportunities to grow in faith and experience the Lord’s deliverance, because there are always money problems that only God can solve.

I have heard it said that the poor are more generous than the rich. I have heard it also said that if you want to get help then go to the poor. There are several Facebook videos where a homeless person was given a large sum of money, say $100. They were secretly followed and to the film maker’s surprise the poor person went to buy food in order to distribute it to other homeless people.

When the poor are established in the church, as leaders, then they are in an exalted position, for they have gotten into that position for some other reason than money. They can only get into that position through their faith and their serving within the church. They reason they are there is more authentic. They are in an exalted position.

God helps us to keep wealth and this world in the proper perspective. The Bible teaches us that riches will pass away, scorch, wither, fall, perish and fade. The unsaved person, with no faith and who loves money will perish along with their wealth.

Life is so fleeting. The clock is ticking on how much we can enjoy our wealth. You cannot take your wealth with you. Now is the time to seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness. (Matt 6:33) Now is the time to honor God with our wealth.

Part 2: The Crown Of Life (12)

Verse 12, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (ESV)

When the hot sun of trials and persecution rises, we must not dry up and fade away. On our own, that is what would happen. But with God’s help this will not happen. That is why the pursuit of money, without seeking God, is such an issue.

We will face trials. There will be things in life that make us faulter in our faith. We need to be rooted in Christ through faith. God will keep us in him so that we can stand up under trials. This will not be easy. So many people, when facing trials, will dry up and fade away.

But those who are rooted in Christ and have a vine and branch relationship with Jesus will not dry up and fade away. God will fill them with Living Water. He will refresh their spirit. They will bear much fruit.

God will help us to persevere through the hardest of trials. Whatever the trial may be, if we trust God and persevere, we will be blessed by God. God has promised a crown of life to those who love him. Those who love God are given strength to persevere. God enables them to persevere. God promises to bless those who persevere through depending on him. God will grant them the crown of life. Whether we are rich or poor in this world, we need to realize that God’s blessings are our true riches and it is these riches that must be sought after. (Matthew 6:33) The real hope is to receive the crown of life from Jesus and not just chasing after a little more wealth in this world.

Prayer: Lord, help me to know what is valuable; help me to persevere under trial by depending on you, your power and your grace.

One Word: Persevere in the Lord and receive a crown of life by God’s grace.