James has advice for the rich. He writes, “But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position …” (James 1:10). Who are these rich James is talking about? James is talking about those who are physically rich. James is talking about those who are rich from a worldly point-of-view. Before we all cheer James on as he tells “those people” what their problem is, let’s consider that James may be talking to you and I.   According to the book Poor Economics,  MIT professor/author sites that over 75% of the population of planet earth live on less than $12 a day. Other reports show that 50% of the world lives on less than $2.00 a day.  If those stats are even remotely in the ball park, anyone who makes more than $2.00 a day is in the top 50 percent of the world’s financially “rich.”  If you and I make more than $12 a day, we are in the top 25% of the world’s “rich.”    So before we brush off James’s admonition to them, perhaps  we should see if James is talking to us.   James is not saying that being rich is an evil thing. But notice, they aren’t just rich; they are also fellow believers because James identifies them too as a brother or sister. They too are servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ and need to be reminded of how they should be living out their faith.

Notice the great reversal? The solution to the temptation of riches is to “glory in the Gospel instead of glorying in your goodies.”    The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. The brother who is rich should take pride in his low position.  The word James uses is GLORY, which means give weight. He told the poor to GLORY in their exaltation. Then he tells the rich to GLORY in their humiliation.

James tells the rich to take pride in their low position. What low position? You’ve got to be kidding, James! They don’t have a low position. They are the movers and shakers of this world. They are at the top of the heap. Congressmen, Senators, and Presidents come to them, hat in hand, looking for money and advice – especially in an election year. Even those within the church look up to them and idolize them. So what is James talking about? The gospel.  The Main message of the Bible teaches that our works, our money, our influence are all woefully inadequate in dealing with the problem of our separation with God.   The rich and powerful must remember that the great accomplishments do not rescue us from our real problem.

Why not glory in my goodies? James tells us,  “But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position …” (James 1:10). James gives us a reason for this advice to the rich brother and sister: “because he will pass away like a wild flower” (James 1:10). James borrows a theme from the psalmist and the prophet here: (Ps 90:5-6) “You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning– (6) though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.”

One writer tells the story of Dennis:

Dennis Barnhart was president of an aggressive, rapidly growing company, Eagle Computer Incorporated. From a small beginning, his firm grew incredibly fast. He finally decided they should go public. Eagle netted $37 million from the initial public’s offering (IPO) of $2.75 million shares. The stock which hit the market at $13 a share quickly rose as high as $27 before closing at a bid price of $15.50. That made Barnhart’s ownership of 592,000 shares worth more than $9 million. That same afternoon, while he was in his red Ferrari only blocks from the company headquarters, he drove his car through twenty feet of guard rail into a ravine and died. “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field” (Is 40:6).

James is saying don’t glory in goodies, glory in the Gospel. Goodies come and go. The Gospel goes on forever.  The Gospel is your eternal, adopted, heir, accepted, loved, position in Christ.  Christ giving us something we could never earn, and can never lose.

Perhaps you are thinking of all THOSE rich people who need this message…hold on…if you are reading this… on a computer… in America, you are rich by any objective, historic, Biblical definition.

We are rich.  By any objective historic standard, everyone and all of us would be in the category of rich by the Bible’s standards. We have more than most people in history: more stuff, more food, more shelter, and more transportation than anyone in history. MIT economist Abhijt Banjerjee in his book Poor Economics maps out by city and country the population where 75% or more of the residents live on less than $2.00 a day.  It’s staggering.

Perhaps you -like me- need to pray a prayer like this, “God, I live in a culture that focuses on what I don”t have, and so I can always think of a half dozen things I am not buying right now.  I can think of upgrades that I’d like, but can’t afford.  I put my confidence in my retirement accounts, my savings.   God if I gloried in you more than my goodies, what would that mean?”

For many of us, we have not taken seriously the call to give generously.  We don’t think of ourselves as rich or greedy so we don’t have to wrestle with the role money plays in our hearts. But I think it is IMPOSSIBLE to meet with God deeply and significantly without wrestling with money.   Let’s start by getting out of denial.  Now,  if you and I are rich, we need to let God and the Scriptures challenge us in our giving.   I give 10% to the church, so I often “check out” at money verses and don’t let God challenge me.  But  we need to let God continually challenge us to give, and to look out for others. Why are we not giving more? The answer is always fear and faith. I am not as generous because I don’t really believe the Gospel.   James shows us that the real way to glory in God is to glory in the Gospel.

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Imagine I called you to the bank.  I let you watch me deposit $200 trillion dollars into your bank account.  Then I handed you a bucket of bottle caps.   I asked you to find ways to invest, to give away, multiple and change lives  with those bottle caps.   How would you react?  Would you be focused on the bottle caps and their glory, or the bank account I had set up for you? Wouldn’t it be easy to give away the bottle caps? Sure, you’d know your real treasure and value is somewhere else.   If you struggle with giving… If your struggle with giving away a percentage of your income, you need to look at the “crown of life” God has promised you. Do you really believe your real treasures are in Heaven? Do you really understand what Christ offers you and what is guaranteed for you in eternal places?

I may write a note to myself… “I worry because I think it’s up to me… I spend too much because I’m trying to get my ‘real’ life right now on earth…  I haven’t examined the percentage of money I give away in a while… Or I need to call and set up an auto debit with the church…” Those are action steps I may write in my Bible.  Sometimes it’s more of a prayer, “God help me see again. See the power, beauty and value of your CROWN, so I can let go of everything I am holding on to.”

Glory in the Gospel, Not Our Grievances
Glory in the Gospel, Not Our Goodies