Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You are invited to come to the Wednesday evening prayer meeting and pray. (7:00 PM LHF time, Wed., Nov. 22, 2000)
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." -- James 1:9-12
Three weeks ago I wrote about considering it pure joy whenever we face many kinds of trials. I'll quote those verses again here:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." -- James 1:2-4
These verses form an introduction to the book of James. The Holy Spirit, speaking through James, did not just give some instruction on a series of disconnected topics, but rather, in the rest of the book of James God is telling us how we are tested and what we need to do to pass the test, which we WILL pass, because that's God's purpose for us. God can't be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone [by evil]. (see v13) His purpose for testing us is not to cause us to fail, but to prove that we are able to pass.
Today's passage tells us that to pass the test, we need to take pride (or rejoice -- KJV, glory -- NASB) in certain conditions. "The brother (that is, the believer) in humble circumstances ought to take pride (or rejoice) in his high position." He should rejoice because he has been adopted into the family of God as a son. God loves him and is committed to protecting him and keeping him and providing for him until the day Jesus comes. God has a crown for him and an inheritance. The brother in humble circumstances ought to rejoice.
But what about the brother who is rich? James says that he should take pride (or rejoice) in his low position because he will pass away like a wild flower (literally, a flower of the grass).
Have you ever noticed the tiger lilies at the end of the street along the railroad tracks? They look like grass with beautiful orange flowers. I also have some domesticated varieties of them in my flower garden. They're called day lilies. They seem to be pretty indestructible except for one thing. The flowers only last one day. They open in the morning, stay open all day and close in the evening. The next day they are dead and they fall off. I've never seen one last more than one day. It appears to be just as James described. The heat of the sun dries the plant, the flower closes and the next day it falls off and its beauty is destroyed.
The man who is rich should -- really he must -- take pride in his low position. The beauty of his riches will disappear in a moment. They cannot save him. He must rejoice in his low position -- that is, that he is completely dependent on God who can and will save him. What God has prepared for him makes the fleeting beauty of earthly riches insignificant. (I don't even need to say "insignificant by comparison" because any earthly possession is absolutely nothing compared to the eternal glory God has prepared for those who love him.)
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. I think that the scorching sun maybe represents the rich brother's trials. In the process of testing, his dependence upon wealth is dried up and falls off. He will persevere because God has sealed him for the day of redemption by the Holy Spirit. But his dependence on the things of this world will be gone. Those who persevere under trial love God. Those who love God persevere under trial. Brothers and sisters, do you love God? I know you do because he first loved you.
Come and let's pray for each other as well as for the whole church. Come and encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.
Love in Christ,
Dean
PS: If you absolutely can't make it to the prayer meeting, send your prayer requests back to me by e-mail and we'll pray for them.