Exaltation and Humilation: Two Good Things

Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits - James 1:9-11.

Let the lowly – or poor or simple or common – brother glory in his exaltation. Just as it is proper for this lowly man (or woman) to rejoice when he (or she) is lifted up by God, so it is fitting (but extremely more difficult) for the high – the rich or elevated – to rejoice when they are humbled by trials and difficulties.

I think we could find Biblical evidence to prove that the poor brother will in heaven forget his earthly poverty and the rich brother in heaven will not remember his material wealth. Faith in Christ and stepping over into eternity seems to be a great equalizer.

James says “as a flower of the field he will pass away.” Trials serve to remind the rich that though they are comfortable in this life, it is just that – this life, which soon fades away just like the grass that turns brown and the flowers that dry up and fall from their stems.

For nine years we lived Oregon. There were amazing flowers in the Beaver State. Local nurseries would send bulbs around the world. In the Willamette Valley, there are a variety of beautiful flowers that seem to explode to life when the spring rains come. The irises are probably some of the most remarkable; acres of rows upon rows of multi-colored flowers standing at attention. But they don’t last forever. After a while they begin withering away. On the scale of eternity, this is how quickly the rich man also will fade away in his fiscal pursuits.

The riches of this world will undoubtedly fade away – but James takes the picture to a whole new perspective when he says that the rich man himself (not just his riches) also will fade away. If we foolishly put who we are into things that fade away, we will eventually fade away also. It is so much better to put our life into those eternal things that will never fade. If a man is only rich on this ball of dirt, when he dies, he leaves his riches behind – to end up in the dirt. But if a man is rich before God, when he dies he goes to where his riches have been waiting. That, my friend, is a good thing.