Lessons for Life from James 1:9-12

James

Lessons for Life

James little letter is a great one to help us as we try to live our lives as Christians. Many people will ask, “Now that I am a Christian, how do I go about living my life?” James answers many of those questions by giving us guidance on how to live out that faith that we have been given. It is for that reason that this series of studies is entitled “Lessons for Life.”

Come along and join us as we learn some of these lessons. Do you have questions? Do you have comments? Be sure to post them so that we can discuss them. This is by no means the end to all the questions that we have in our lives of faith.

James 1:9 “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10. and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11. 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.

1. The lowly are in a high position and the high are in a lowly position. Sound really crazy until you put that with the words of Jesus in Luke 6:20-22.  When you read this, what do you think James is trying to say?

2. How does that challenge you in the way that you live your life?  What do you boast about in your life? Do you let the things or actions of your life guide you, exalt you?

3. What is the challenge that “poor” people have in their lives? What is the challenge that “rich” people have in their lives?

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

4.      Here I would ask you to turn to Psalm 1. There we read: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” What does it mean to be “blessed”?

5.      What does it mean to stand the “test”? What is James pointing out to the Christian?

6.      Will the life of the Christian be an “easy” life? What “trials” do you face as you go through each day? Are those unique to you? What are some that are the same for all believers? What are some that would be unique for different people?

1A. James seems to be talking about the same thing that Jesus spoke of in Luke. There Jesus points out that it isn’t the things of this world that makes us before the Father in heaven. It is the faith that we have in Jesus Christ that places us in a position of honor before the Father. This is not the same as the “honor” that we see here on earth. That honor is as the grass of the field, it is here today and gone tomorrow. The heat of this life (the sun beating down) causes such honor to wither and fade. The only true honor is that which is found in humbling oneself before the Lord Jesus Christ.

2A. Here it is personal. At times I can boast about being a pastor, and yet when I do that, I find that the focus is no longer on my Lord Jesus Christ. All that I do, all that I say, is to point others to my Lord and not to me. Like John the Baptist, I say, “I must decrease so that He can increase.” I need to stand out of the way of the message of the Gospel.

3A. There are times when the “poor” wear it as a badge of honor. They point to it and say to the Christian, “You HAVE to help me because I am poor. God says so.” In doing so, the focus is upon the self and not upon the message, the life in Christ or the Savior Himself. At other times, the rich get caught up in their riches and lose sight of their Savior because they have all that they need in this life. Both poor and rich are challenged by their position in life. Which is better? Neither. The best position is the one that lives in Christ Jesus and not in self (rich or poor).

4A. To be “blessed” can mean a variety of things within different contexts. As James is writing, he is making the connection with being “content, serene and confident that God is in control of the world.”  This is a blessing that comes to the believer through faith in Jesus Christ. The next words of the verse show that it is a challenge to live in that way in a fallen, sinful world.

5A. “Test” means that your faith is refined as gold in fire. Faith is challenged at each turn. It is challenged by the devil tempting you in a variety of ways. It is also tested when the world around you brings those temptations and challenges to your faith. But probably one of the most challenging tests comes from your sinful nature which tries to find ways around the life of Christ. The Christian struggles with temptation in his life. He might point out that pornography is wrong for people, that it degrades both men and women and destroys the gift of sexuality that God has given to men and women. Then he opens his copy of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. The woman might say how wrong it is for women to get involved in an adulterous affair and then open the romance novel in order to immerse herself in that which she is missing in her marriage. The sinful self tests each of us at just about any turn.

James is bringing forward that which John the evangelist will write about in the Revelation. There, in that last book of the Bible, the Christian sees what it means to stand the “test” for he/she will find that there are many ways to be challenged and how important it is to stand firm. John will write: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10

6A. Here this is quite up to you to figure out an answer. What I face might not be what you face. As a man, you and I will face some similar challenges. As a man, I will not face the same challenges that you will face as a woman. As a father, I will face some of the same challenges that others fathers face but not what mothers face. You can apply this into all the difference vocations that we have in our lives.