The Source of our Standing

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” 

(James 1:9-11 ESV)

It’s easy for us to misinterpret the things we see around us. It’s easy for us to misinterpret our circumstances in this life. This is true, especially, when it comes to our standing before God.

We tend to look at those who are lacking the blessings of this life and assume that they are excluded from the blessing of God. And the opposite is also true. We look at those who have everything this world has to offer, and assume they have received a larger dose of God’s favor.

Such thinking is dangerous. If we are lowly, it can leave us in despair. It can cause us to deny the work of the Lord in our life. And if we are rich, it can give to us false hope. It can cause us to trust not in the Lord, but in ourselves and the worldly blessings we possess.

The simple reality is that, even if we are lacking in wealth, influence, or prestige in the world, we have become a child of God through faith in Jesus. And, if we possess this faith, we can rejoice in our exaltation despite our outward circumstances.

We can rejoice because of our high standing. We can rejoice in the tremendous blessing the Lord has bestowed upon us. We can rejoice because, even though we appear lowly in the eyes of the world, we have been exalted by God.

In the same way, if we have wealth, influence, and prestige in this world, our faith will lead us to acknowledge our lowly position before the Lord. We'll recognize that our life in this world will one day come to an end. We'll concede that the blessings we have received in this life will one day pass away. 

This may not seem like a blessing. It may not seem to be something about which we can boast. But the reminder of the temporary nature of our life is, indeed, a blessing. It forces us to look not to ourselves nor to our wealth, but to the Lord. And it leads us to boast in everything God has done for us.

May we, then, find our worth and our standing, as well as that of others, not in worldly circumstance. Let us find it in the Lord and in the sacrifice he’s made on our behalf. Let us find our worth and standing in the promise he’s given us.