Money Matters Series

There are temptations to being poor. Jealousy. Envy. Coveting. Can even blow up to a level of anger, or hatred with those who are better off financially. So there is definitely an earthly aspect and approach to glorying in a lowly or poor state.

But I want you to notice a second perspective to this glorying in exaltation. This glory in exaltation is an eternal glory in exaltation. I don’t want to bog you down in the Greek, and the cross references, and the complexities of the word choice here. But what is significant about this idea of “exaltation” is that it has an eternal element to it. Paul and Peter use it in their writings.

James is saying that not only is there glory in the fact that you are experiencing financial temptations here on earth, based on a lack of finances which will lead to your perfection, but there is also rejoicing in the fact that you have already attained an eternal exaltation. As a brother in Christ, as a believer, regardless of what your status seems to be here on earth from a financial perspective, you can rejoice in knowing that in the big eternal perspective, you are rich.

Do you see those two perspectives? Glory from an earthly perspective knowing that the temptations of being poor are leading to your Christ likeness. Glory from an eternal perspective knowing that even though you are poor here, you are rich eternally.

So where does that leave the brother experiencing financial riches here on earth? James tells that person to glory in his humiliation. Again, to understand this, you have to look at the two different perspectives James is giving us. First, glory in the earthly temptations you are going to face being rich because it leads to your perfection. Despite the fact that we think the rich have it easier and that the struggles reside with the poor, it is a clear reality that when it comes to temptations, life is no cake walk for those with money.

The Charleston Gazette ran a story last December which indicated that the wife of the lottery winner who took home the richest undivided jackpot in U.S. history says she regrets her husband’s purchase of the $314.9 million ticket that thrust her family into the public spotlight. Jewel Whittaker says, “I wish all of this never would have happened. I wish I would have torn the ticket up.” Life is no cake walk because of money.

There was once a beautiful young woman who was married to a wealthy but elderly gentleman. One day he asked her, “Honey, if I lost all my money, would you still love me? I mean, if I lost my mountain chalet, my yacht, and even my French Villa, would you still love me?” “Of course I would,” she cooed, “and I would miss you too.”

Benjamin Franklin once wrote, "Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature that creates happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one. If it satisfies one want, it doubles and triples that want another way."

But again there is not just an earthly perspective to this verse for the rich. There is also that second perspective, that eternal perspective for the rich brother. And while for the poor brother it is a perspective of eternal exaltation despite the lack of worldly wealth, for the rich brother it is a perspective of eternal humiliation despite the existence of worldly wealth. Why? Because for the rich believer, there is an awareness that from the eternal perspective, the riches mean nothing.