James 1:9-11 - We Are Like A Flower

9 Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up,
10 and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant.
11 The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.

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Vs. 9 - Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up, -

“Christians who are poor” - Some translations, or versions, use the word "Brother", meaning a fellow believer. Trials a make all believers equally dependent on God. Humble circumstances, or ‘low position’ is James’ way of making the point that it doesn’t make any difference if you are rich or poor to God. We humans put great emphasis on how much money or possessions we accumulate. But we who live in humble means can look to our future with God. Sometimes it seems that is our only resource.

“lifts them up” - you are a child of God, an "exalted postion". (See NASB translation.) This is not referring to earthly riches or positions of authority and power, but now you are a child of God. John, in his first letter: “See what great love the Father has given us in naming us the children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not see who we are, because it did not see who he was. My loved ones, now we are children of God, and at present it is not clear what we are to be. We are certain that at his revelation we will be like him; for we will see him as he is.” (1 John 3:1-2)

We honor children of rich or important people. Notice how the children of the Presidents of the United States are granted positions and honors and jobs. Notice how the children of movie stars or TV personalities get preferred treatment. It has always been this way. But in this case, it does not matter what your earthly circumstances may be. If you are a child of God, a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, you have been elevated by His grace to amazing heights. If you are not a child of God, there is no hope for you. Stop what you are doing and surrender your life to Jesus Christ.

A child of God! There is no better position. See: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once were not a people, but now you are God's people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Pet 2:9-10)

But remember, you did not attain that ‘high position’ by your work or wealth, and so need to have a realistic understanding of how you got where you are and avoid self-love, too high a assessment of yourself; avoid pride.

Trials make all believers equally dependent on God. Wealth is an illusion. Some studies indicate that James is aiming his anger at non-Christians. (I don't think that makes a lot of sense, since the letter is written to believers). Perhaps the anger is to warn believers to not fall in to the trap that non-believers are in (erroneously thinking they have some control).

In fact, I think we make a mistake accusing James of being ‘angry’. Being firm in conviction, and warning us from trouble does not make a person angry. We may perceive his direct comments as anger because he is not ‘sugar-coating’ his statements. He is not explaining to children why they should not be naughty. He is speaking to adults.

James is not referring to troubles that are a result of our sinful actions (i.e., consequences), but those circumstances not opted for. At the cross there are no advantages either way.

Persecution as a result of living for Christ may fall into the ‘trial’ category. Martyrs definitely receive honor and ‘high position’ in God’s eyes.

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Vs. 10 - and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. - James leans heavily on the rich. (See Note 1) Trouble pays no attention to social or financial standing. In Jewish culture (and in ours) wealth was a sure sign of God's favor! What are the perils of riches? Trusting in wealth in lieu of God. Wealth does not protect you from cancer, nor does it keep you from lust or greed. Wealth does not prevent you from dying, peacefully or otherwise. You have the same chance of living forever as does a weed or flower growing in the wild.

“the rich … must be glad” - The rich person expects glory and is proud of what he has accomplished.  If a rich person is to be proud, let it be because he has admitted his need for Jesus Christ, and accepted Him as Lord and Savior. Lack of humility can be a road block. It is too easy when you have all the clothes you need, food to eat, homes to live in, and cars to drive to forget or ignore your absolute need for salvation. Is admitting that you need Jesus humiliating? Perhaps. It is difficult for someone who has ‘pulled himself up by his own bootstraps’, who has worked hard to establish a business, support a family, etc., to release oneself to a higher power. Accepting Jesus involves just that - admitting that your plight is hopeless, that you need to be saved. It is liberating, knowing that Jesus has taken care of all; it is tough to reconcile that you can’t ‘do it all’. Paul is saying your pride can stand between you and eternal life. Don’t let that happen.
Let's go back to the prophet Jeremiah, who advises us to focus on the correct things. "Thus says the LORD, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the LORD." (Jer 9:23-24)

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Vs. 11 - “The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business. - The wilted flower is an image brought forward from the OT. (Isa 40:6; Psa 102:11, 103:15; Job 14:2; ). Think of the prettiest rose blossom you may have in your yard. How long does it last? A few days at most. This is the perfect picture of ‘ephemeral’.
We also see similar comments in Psalms - “Have no fear when wealth comes to a man, and the glory of his house is increased; For at his death, he will take nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. Though he might have pride in his soul in his life-time, and men will give you praise if you do well for yourself, He will go to the generation of his fathers; he will not see the light again. Man, like the animals, does not go on for ever; he comes to an end like the beasts.” (Psa 49:16-20) In other words, don’t be envious of the rich and their wealth, because we all die and take nothing with us. 

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Note 1: James deals with rich people and riches in four sections of this letter; 1:10-11, 2:3-6, 4:13-17, and 5:1-6. ***

James 1:5-8 - Ask for Wisdom

5 But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.
6 But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind.
7-8 If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord. (GNB)

God Will Give You Wisdom

Vs. 5 – "But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all." - We can almost treat this letter by James as we would the Proverbs, for example, as with this an abrupt change of subject. Ask for wisdom, not cash or stuff. Perhaps the most famous example of this is king Solomon. See 2 Chron 1:7-12. When Solomon assumes the throne, God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wished. Solomon was grateful to God for his blessing and mercy for David. Solomon asked for wisdom to be able to rule the kingdom correctly. God was impressed with Solomon's request and gave him wisdom, as well as other stuff, too. How's that for generously and graciously?

Let’s stop for a bit and ask ourselves, “How would we define/describe 'wisdom'?” We can see wisdom as moral discernment, spiritual insight, right understanding, or responsible words and worthy deeds. We can see how wisdom plays a part in our response to trials and trouble. Look to Proverbs: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.” (Pro 3:5-7) As we grow in our trust in the Lord we see our commitment to Him increase; we learn to be vigilant so as to avoid situations that may lead us to into trouble. Which brings us to look to God and avoid dependence on self. Autonomy will almost always end in disaster for us.
While reading this morning I came across these verses: "The LORD is good and upright; therefore he shows sinners the way. He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the LORD’s ways show faithful love and truth to those who keep his covenant and decrees." (Psa 25:8-10) This is telling us that wisdom comes from listening and obeying the Lord's "ways" which He has revealed in Scripture.

Christ is our example in reliance on God. See: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb 12:2-3) We can rejoice that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5:16-18) Is this amazing? We are to rejoice in all things - even in persecution! We can trust the one whom we ask! He has held nothing back from us!

This tells us that wisdom is a special provision from God. You can keep on doing what you are doing, and gain nothing but frustration and bitterness. Or you can pray to God. Ask Him as commanded. Ask Him because in this way we will come to a greater dependence on Him - which is the only way to a fulfilling life in Christ. And His wisdom will help us see that we are free in Christ, free from sin by His blood shed. We can receive the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 1:7) - non-believers cannot receive the Holy Spirit of God. We can experience the extraordinary greatness of His grace (Eph 2:7). We have access to the unimaginable wealth and riches that Christ has for us (Eph 3:8).
Wisdom does not just 'happen' - it must be fought for, you must make a decision. The result of that decision may be good or bad. And if you learn from that decision, either to "not do that" again or that it is "good to do that", you have gained wisdom.

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Vs. 6 – "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." - Don't doubt that God can answer. We may not know what His answer will be. Especially if we don't ask correctly. We have no right to make demands on God. Is this a matter of attitude? Partially, but also a matter of asking for that which God wants for us - being in His will. We can ask Him to reveal His will for us. See 1 John 5:14-15 - “And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.”

“Doubts” - a believer who doubts his relationship w/God exposes an unstable faith; not merely indecision, but a loss of trust in God. Who or what are you doubting? Pray with a confident trust in a sovereign God. Picture a rudderless ship - that is prayer without belief.

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Vs. 7,8 – "For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." .

“double-minded” - To pursue good and evil at the same time is hypocrisy! Divided between faith and the world - a carnal man- (Whoever does not have the spirit... 1 Cor 2:14) The psalmist knew the frustration of dealing with those who were double-minded. They were uncertain and uncommitted in their lives. In contrast, the law of God is sure and certain.

The following are some quotes from Bible Study authors: “When we love the law it becomes a law of love, and we cling to it with our whole heart.” (Spurgeon)
“ ‘Double-minded’ is akin to the word in Elijah’s taunt at those who hobbled ‘first on one leg and then on the other’ (1 Kings 18:21, Jerusalem Bible).” (Kidner)
“Double-minded people are people who know about God but are not fully determined to worship and serve him only. They are those who want both God and the world. They want the benefits of true religion, but they want their sin too.... The Psalmist hates this double-mindedness; he also hates it in himself.” (Boice)

What should we be asking for? During a trial, ask for an understanding of the purpose behind the divine permission of the difficulty. If we are rebellious during trials, it will bring us to no good.