James 1:9-12
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Over the past two weeks, we have learned what God has to say about enduring life’s trials from the New Testament Letter of James. The first eight verses of the letter are dedicated to what is needed to faithfully endure life’s trials. Believers need true joy, right knowledge, real patience, divine wisdom, and genuine faith. This opening section on trials (which runs through verse 18) continues this week as we come to James 1:9-12. As we face trials, it is important to keep at the forefront of our minds what truly matters. What truly matters is what God desires for us and not what we think we need. James gives us three important lessons from these verses that are echoed throughout Scripture so that, as we endure trials, we can keep at the forefront of our minds “What Really Matters.”
The first thing we must recognize as we face trials is the priority that God places on humility. Humility is something that is prized throughout Scripture. Here it is addressed in reference to a person who is poor by the world’s standards. They are a brother of “low degree.” However, James promises that they should “rejoice” because they are “exalted.” This deliberate contrast doesn’t seem to make sense, unless we consider it from God’s perspective. “Rejoice” means to boast or brag. This is not speaking to arrogant boasting or a false form of humility where we brag about how humble we are. Instead, it is calling us to value what God values. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Paul reminds the Corinthian church that God has chosen the “foolish things,” “weak things,” “base things,” and “things which are despised” to bring Him the most honor and glory. Our Lord Jesus described Himself as “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29) and Isaiah 57:15 tells us that God dwells “with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.” 1 Peter 5:5 tells us, “be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” Jeremiah 9:24 tells us what we should be rejoicing in, “let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” Trials have a way of producing humility in our lives. It is one of God’s purposes for them. True humility is a character trait that God places great value on. Wherever we find ourselves in life, we should seek to humble ourselves before the Lord (1 Peter 5:6-7).
The second lesson we must learn as we face trials is concerning the passing nature of worldly wealth. The contrast is now given between the “brother of low degree” in verse 9 to the “rich” in verse 10. The rich brother is “made low.” The command “rejoice” is actually applied to both. Why would the rich rejoice in being made low? One of the great dangers of wealth is to arrogantly trust in our possessions and love our possessions instead of God. Paul warns in 1 Timothy 6:9, “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts.” There is a temptation to be like the rich young ruler who walked away from Jesus “grieved: for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). Facing trials with wealth gives an added degree of difficulty because we are prone to trust in those things we possess. However, God does not share our trust or affection with anything else. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Trials are God’s way of taking us who think we may have all we need and humbling us. Many of the Jewish Christians who had been scattered abroad were able to hang onto their wealth and many were stripped of everything. In those circumstances, James tells us that they must see those losses, not as God’s punishment, but as His love because worldly possessions cannot save and they do not last. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:7, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”
The final thing we are reminded of concerning what really matters is the permanence of God’s rewards. Hebrews 11:6 says, “for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” God “is a rewarder of” those who “diligently seek Him.” Jeremiah told the nation of Israel in calling them to repentance, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). The reward here is promised to “the man that endureth temptation.” It is promised to the one who faithfully endures life’s trials in a way that honors God. James first says that this person is “Blessed.” The word can be translated and understood as “happy” and is the same word found in the beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12. It describes happiness in right relationship with God. It comes from the peace, joy, and love that is experienced from knowing the Lord and being faithful to Him (Romans 5:1-5). To that individual is promised “the crown of life.” While there are five such crowns mentioned throughout the New Testament, they are really just different ways of describing the same crown. That crown is a metaphor for the eternal life given to the believer who will spend eternity with God. Believers are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). Revelation 21:1-22:5 begins to wet our appetites for what is to come for believers. Paul describes the contrast of the struggles now with the blissful eternity to come, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
What really matters? What really matters is the godly character that God produces in our lives through the trials of life, not our fleeting, temporary comfort. What really matters are the eternal rewards of heaven and being faithful to our Lord who came and suffered in the ultimate way for us to be saved and brought there. What is God doing in your life now? Is He making you humble? Is He teaching you to trust in Him instead of things of this world? Are you looking forward to eternity with Him or living for here and now?