James 1:9

New American Standard Version

But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position;

Pastor’s Paraphrase

          A Christian who has not been blessed with a great deal of material possessions should not feel that they are in any way inferior to those who have much but rather they should take pride in what really matters – that they are a child of God with an inheritance of eternal riches.

 “How does this help me become more like Him?”

          It is true that the Lord loves His children and delights to bless them with all good things.  It is also true that a follower of Christ who has been entrusted with financial wealth and an abundance of material possessions has no reason to be ashamed or feel guilty about that blessing – as long as those things never become a greater passion or priority in their life than honoring and following the Lord.  Were it not for godly and committed believers in our generation and others, the work of the Kingdom would not have had the financial resources needed to do God’s work.  The Lord uses the generosity of those who love Him – whether they give “the widow’s mite” or multiplied millions to His work.

          What is not true is that those who have not been blessed with material and financial abundance have necessarily been denied anything from the Lord because of sin or some other spiritual inadequacy.  Despite very popular teaching today to the contrary, it is not necessarily God’s will for every believer to be wealthy.  In fact, His plan sometimes calls for those who follow Him to go through times of financial struggle.  When this is so, it does not mean that God loves them any less than those whose bank accounts are full to overflowing.  God has a purpose for everything He allows the believer to go through in this life.

          Perhaps some of you who are reading this passage and devotional thoughts today are going through times of financial struggle.  If so, you may feel alone but, trust me, you are not.  You are not alone first of all because the Lord is still with you.  I know that it may not feel like it when you don’t know how you are going to meet the financial demands of your life but His presence is not based on our emotions in the midst of a crisis.  He is with you because He promised He would be and He never breaks a promise.

          He wants to remind you today that such a struggle has nothing to do with who you really are and what you possess that is most important.  I know that you cannot cash in eternal riches to pay your electricity bill or make your house payment – but these years that such things are a struggle and concern are but “the blink of an eye” when we compare them to eternity.      Yes, we must still face these demands today but they don’t change what matters most.  Your mansion in glory will not come with a mortgage or utility bills – praise God!  We must face these obligations today and sometimes there’s more month than money but we must not let them make us lose sight of what really lasts.

          No matter what your situation is today, whether it is financially related or not, God will take care of you.  You may not know the “how” but you can look back on countless times He took care of you in the past – often in ways you didn’t expect.  He was faithful to you then and He is still faithful to you now.  You may not be rich according to your checking account statement (apologies to my banker friends), but if you know the Lord and are seeking to live more like Him, you are rich in the ways that really matter.  Don’t let the enemy lie to you and tell you that you’re a pauper – you’re a child of the King!

“How should I pray for Him to change my life?”

Thank the Lord for the riches of Heaven that are yours through His grace.  Pray that He will keep your mind and your heart set on things above and that He will give you peace no matter what is going on here below.  Read over Philippians 4:6-7 from the Living Bible as you tell the Lord your needs today.

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