James 1:9-11 Humility

James 1:9-11
"But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away."

Earlier this year my family experienced the tragedy of death. My 35 year old brother was killed in a bar. As we emptied out his apartment something occurred to me that I had overlooked in the previous days as we sat with him in the hospital. He was not planning on dying. He had laundry that was folded and not put away, a book that was half written, movies that needed to be returned. The truth of this passage had come home to me: "man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away."
With that knowledge the first half of this passage comes to life. The "brother" of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position. James most likely is referring to a believer when he says brother. So for the believer who is humble we have some promises.

Matthew 18:4 “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 11:11 “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

The rich man should not glory in how much they have, but instead on the things that humiliate or humble them. If a person of wealth can do this, then they will be exalted.

Matthew 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."

The point of this passage in James is clear. The one thing that the rich man has in common with the poor man is death. Both will die, neither will expect it. Nothing is more humbling then seeing how powerless a person is to death. Suddenly things of this earth like wealth, fancy cars, and big boy toys mean nothing. Suddenly the only perspective that matters is an eternal perspective.

Decide now whom you will serve, the eternal God or the gods of this world (money, success, entertainment, satan).