Philip Dampier's Blog

Chapter 1, Verses 9-11 “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 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.”

We are told that God is not a respecter of persons. He offers salvation to the rich and the poor equally. He will punish both the rich and the poor the same if they fail to obey Him as God. The poor brother is exalted in his status as a child of God and the rich brother is made equal in his status as a child of God. James wants to be sure his readers understand that what the world may see as an advantage is not an advantage at all. The truth is that both the rich and the poor will end up with what they began with, nothing. You can see it, James tells us, in the example of the desert flowers. Regardless of how beautiful they become, the desert sun and wind will dry them up and their beauty will fade away.

Whether rich or poor, the Christian must exalt in God alone. Neither has anything of lasting value outside of God and both have equal share in God. Both must come to the conclusion that they are nothing without God. He is their only exaltation and neither is exalted without Him.

Task for Today: Are you poor? Then find your worth in Jesus. Are you rich, then see your true worth in Jesus. If we have Jesus we are not poor; if we don’t have Jesus we cannot be rich.