This verse reminds me of a potted plant I bought last year. And another plant I bough the year before. Ok, I tend to kill potted plants because I forget to water them. It's really sad because they're so pretty for the first few weeks. But when the Texas heat gets to them and my water doesn't, they turn an icky brown. Hopefully this year's plant will last longer.
James compares my dead plants to a rich man. To read this verse in context with what I've been learning this week, I think James is trying to make the point that during trials, the rich man doesn't have an advantage. Money doesn't help. Money can't solve our problems, because only God can. Relying on money (or financial security) to solve our problems is only going to turn us into miserable, withered people.
So if we're in debt, if we're debt free, if we're rich, and if we're broke, we can expect trials in our lives. We can also expect that money can't help us through these trials. So what should we do? Stop focusing all our attention on saving, earning, or spending money. It will wear us out and fade us into icky brown plants. Start relying on God and trust that He will provide the money if we need it to solve our problems. Let's be people who focus on God when we're stressed, because God promises that this man "will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (vs. 12).
No comments:
Post a Comment