That was humiliating!

⁹ Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰ and the rich in his humiliation James 1:9-10

Boast in my humiliation, really?

What humiliating experience are you most proud of?

I think most of us would prefer to forget, hide, or bury those times!

That verse should be wake up call for us!

What James is talking about is our "earthly" resources, possessions, finances. James is saying that poverty and wealth will be one of the greatest trials we face as followers of Christ.

Have you experienced that?

Maybe you're not sure how you are going to survive and all of your focus is on that.

Maybe you've got more stuff than you know what to do with, but your identity is so tied to what you own, you've got to get more.

Think about this in light of the 3 sins we've talked about; Lust of the flesh - passion, pleasure; Lust of the eyes - possessions, materialism; and the Pride of life - position, status.

Don't we all, no matter of financial standing, look to those things to bring us happiness, security, identity, worth, value, comfort?

³ But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Cor 11:3

James is trying to expose the "lie" that our value, our worth is determined by our wealth on this world. He is reminding us that "true" riches are found in our inheritance in the Kingdom of God. He is also speaking to an audience who believed that your earthly wealth was determined by your faith; the faithful prospered and the wicked suffered. Sound familiar?

The antidote for the lust of the flesh is integrity; for the lust of the eyes is generosity; and the pride of life is humility.

Ask God to reveal the lies you believe, to bring them out of the darkness and expose them to the light. Ask him to give you the strength to "die to yourself" and practice humility, generosity and integrity!

³⁰
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 2 Cor 11:30