Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. James 1:9-11
Mirror, mirror upon the wall, Who is the fairest of all?
Is it you? Is it someone else?
When you look into the mirror each day, who do you see? A graying middle-aged man whose belly extends a bit too far over his belt? A woman fighting wrinkles?
Maybe perspective is in order for you today. Maybe you need to see yourself as God sees you.
If you are a Christ-follower, you are a child of the king, adopted by him and brought into his home. And heir to wealth. He is your dad and will supply all you need if you seek first his plan and his desire and his life.
It doesn’t matter what you have on this side of heaven, anyway. When you to get to his house, you will have more than you could ever imagine.
The truth is, the rich can become poor in a day and the poor can become rich in a day. So we boast not in what we have but who we are in relationship with – Jesus.
Jesus reminded us we have two options. We can store up our treasures on earth where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Or we can store our treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. The answer, by the way, is heaven!
We often let the world define us, and in the context of the New Testament, status was often defined by how much you had. Today, it is defined by who you know, how many “friends” you have on Facebook, or how much money you have.
If we look in the mirror and see only what is defined by others, will chase what they think is important. But if we see ourselves as God sees us – his child whom he loves, and whom he has something awesome planned for all eternity – then we will run after what he says is important. And we will see his love, his relationship, his presence, and his approval.
And we will be different.
