James 1:9-11

NIV: The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

The Message: When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don't ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that's a picture of the "prosperous life." At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.

When these verses talk about the poor man taking pride in his high position, this means his standing before God because of the sacrifice that Jesus made. Because he died on the cross for our sins, we can all stand righteous before God. It's not a case of standing tall because we have money in the bank, a nice house, a new car, designer clothes, we live in a "good" neighbourhood, have that high powered job., No, God doesn't look at the things of this world, God looks straight through to our hearts, each and every one of us. He treats Bill Gates and his money exactly how he treats me and my money (or lack of it!). He does not look o see what I have got on this world, the material possessions I have, but looks to see the treasures I am storing up in heaven, what I have done with the gifts He gave me.

The rich man cannot take anything with him to heaven. There is that story of the rich man dying, and his lawyer is with him as the family anxiously wait outside the room. The lawyer comes out and says that the man is dead, and one of the family ask how much he left. The lawyer replies that the man left everything…...

A man's wealth and prosperity may be taken from him in an instant. He may lose his job, his home, his land, his belongings, there may be illness and death in the family and he is left with nothing. James compares the rich man and all his wealth to a wildflower. When it blooms, it is beautiful to behold yet in the sun and wind, it soon fades and its petals fall off. God may send trials and tribulations to each one of us, but if we depend on our material possessions alone, we will have nothing left. The poor man, however, has nothing to start off with, but he has a greater treasure with his faith in Jesus, and because of this, he can stand tall and stand proud.

Look at Job, who was a one of the richest men in his time. He loses his flocks, his herds, his servants, his children and his body is covered with sores. His wife tells him to curse God and his friends tell him he must have committed some sin for God to punish him like that. Job had nothing left - he was mocked and ridiculed by those who used to respect him, and had the grief of losing all his children to contend with. Yet he remained firm in his belief and trust ion God. Yes, he questioned what God was up to and why these things had happened for no apparent reason, but his faith remained strong.

Catastrophe can happen to anyone at any time. In the blink of an eye we could lose all that seem important to us - job, position, power, fame, family, wealth. If these are taken away, what do we have left?

If God looks on our hearts, not on how much money we have ion the bank, why do we place so much importance on the things of this world, on the material possessions? We need to get our priorities right and to make sure that God is first in our lives, not second, or third or even lower down the list. The devil would keep us busy working to earn money, to build up our assets, get that nice house, those new clothes, provide for our family and children and to be able to sit back and take pride in our achievements, on how well we have done for ourselves and our families.

I'm not saying we don't need to go out and get a job, work to provide money to pay the bills. What I am saying is that this should not be the be all and end all of life, the only thing we do. Are we seeking after God? Do we trust and believe in Jesus? Have we set our hearts and minds on the things of this world, or the things of heaven? Where do our priorities lie and in what have we placed our trust?

As Jesus says in Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Where is your treasure?