My daughter and son-in-law have done fairly well in a little side business buying and
selling used things. They visit yard sales, thrift stores and internet sites for good deals,
then re-sell them to people who actually know what some of these items are worth.
Quite often, someone who is just looking to clean out an old closet inadvertently “gives”
away something that has quite a bit of value. I love it when they tell me, “I bought it for
this much, but it’s worth this much,” and then they sell it and make a profit.
As with many things, it takes someone well informed or trained to truly understand the
value of something.
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is
made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. James 1:9–10. KJV
James points out something that is extremely important for Believers to keep in mind,
because the world will tell them otherwise. And that is that God alone knows the value
of each of us and no one can assign value other than Him. Too often Believers allow the
world’s evaluation to take precedence over God’s view of them.
James 2:5 says he has “chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in
faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him.”
Likely, these Jews who we believe the book to be written to, who are displaced, find
themselves lacking, poor by cultural standards, but rich in faith, and rich because they
will inherit the kingdom, something “the world” wouldn’t know, understand, or even care
about. Sometimes God has to remind us, that He sees things from a different
perspective, one the world doesn’t know, can’t know, but that is far better than our
current circumstance.
So even though the Christian finds himself in “low degree,” a step lower comparatively
speaking to the surrounding culture, he can rejoice, in fact, literally he should boast,
because it’s a temporary season, that precedes a glorious eternity.
Boasting doesn’t seem very “Christ-like” one could say, but James seems to indicate we
should. It’s a noble boasting, not in ourselves, but in the promise that is to come, that
we will be elevated, into a far more important place. That knowledge is something that
can provide hope and encouragement when the world and our present circumstance
offer little of either.
Know your value in the sight of God, be confident in it in spite of your circumstances,
and shine the Light of Jesus as you boast of your great hope!
Dr. Ronald J. Barnes, Jr.
President / CEO
September 5, 2023
