"For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits." James 1:11 (NKJV).

Our writer, inspired by the Spirit of God has already dealt with the blessing of the poor, or "Lowly brother…" The poor has no one to turn to but to the Lord for their needs. Their daily physical need is met by the Lord and they shall lack nothing. That does not mean they will always have the best, but they will be in their best walk with the Lord.

Like the poor man, the rich will also perish. It does not matter how much wealth the rich man has he cannot buy his health. He might have a better healthcare plan, but the truth still remains, the rich like the poor is going to perish, and no amount of wealth will keep him/her from their appointment with death.

There are those who are poor and have great wealth. They are poor in peace, poor in relationship with God; poor in family relationships; poor in many different relationships; they are indeed the poorest of the poor. They have much of this world but nothing in the next with eternal God.

There are many who are poor in material things and poor in eternal things as well. These are the one’s who will try to get material gain at the expense of others, by taking what does not belong to them; by thievery, robbery, mugging, and killing. They are of their father the devil.

There is a good illustration of this point made just seven miles from my front door last Wednesday evening (03/12/08). In a small Lake Town of Southwest Missouri someone broke into a bank around midnight, broke into safe deposit boxes, took out contents, and no one even knew it was going on, or that it had happened until opening time on Thursday morning. These thieves seemed to know exactly what to do. According to the news reports they had turned the outside cameras around backwards, and spraypainted the inside ones, and somehow had broken in the rear door, and disarmed the alarm before it had time to be set off. How someone can be so smart to disarm and accomplish this crime to take someone elses hard earned cash and valuable papers is not pleasing and honorable to our Lord. They are already caught. They have been caught "redhanded" with their hands in the pot. It may not have been the law enforcement officials, but the Lord of the universe saw them do it, and they will not get away for long. They will one day meet their Judge.

These are those who are too full of themselves to know God. They are poor in material things; and they are poor in eternal things; and their time of judgment will come.

"Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away." James 1:9-10 (NKJV).

With the past few verses James has been discussing trials of life, and especially the trials of the followers of Jesus Christ; and in particular the earlier followers of Christ who were Jewish. Though the letter is written to Jewish Christians for the time; it is for Christians of all times and all races.

James speaks to different classes of Christians in these two verses. The first is the economically poor. The poor can rejoice in the Lord, and praise Him, because they know that God is the provider of all their needs. They do not trust in uncertain riches. They do not trust in their own strength or power. Their complete trust and faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trials affect all Christians.

Having warned the Christians of the "double-minded man" previously; the poor man can also rejoice in the Lord, because it is the Lord who has delivered them from this curse. If a poor man is not cautious in their faith he or she can still be double-minded and torn between having and not having; unless their faith is solid in Christ. This curse is not just that of the rich man.

Probably one of the hardest tests of a Christian’s faith would come when they have much more than they need. That has not been one of my tests however. It would be of a wealthy Christian’s humility to realize this blessing or curse of wealth is from God, and that He has given it to us to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are less fortunate. The wealthy Christian will truly realize that God has not given them wealth to horde, and to "build bigger barns", but to be generous, and give as the Spirit of the Lord will direct.

The wealthy Christian humbles themselves before God by being thankful for their blessing, giving generously as He leads, and builds other brothers and sisters in Christ up for His glory.

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8 (NKJV).

Faith is a necessity for the Christian to walk with God. We cannot walk without faith. The opposite of faith is fear or unbelief. The doubting to which the New King James refers is an unbelief which would keep us from acting in faith. The Christian who douts in such a case is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. You never know which way its is going to fall.

The matter before us is the matter of asking for wisdom. Since wisdom comes from God, and since He has asked us to ask Him for wisdom, then we can believe that He desires to give us wisdom; and that would be godly wisdom. The individual who ask for wisdom then, decides, "Well, He must not want to give it to me" is in a bad way, and shall not receive anything from God.

This individual who is doubting and not believing, and of whom it is said, "Let not that man suppose he will receive anything fromt he Lord…" does this mean, that not only does he not receive wisdom, but also there is nothing God will give him? If one cannot believe God concerning wisdom, then, this would surely apply to other things as well. This would include salvation. Can a person be saved by doubting that Jesus can save? The answer to that must be, NO!

When one trust the Lord it is a trust for all of life. Trusting the Lord means truling believing Him and Him alone; there can be no other god, nor trust which we lean on. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24 (NKJV). That is actually being "double-minded", and there is no pleasure for God when we are double-minded having divided loyalties. In most stories of intrigue and mystery, and spying a double agent will not live very long, and/or must constantly be watching over their backs. The same is true with faith. When you trust and serve the one true God, believe Him, you never have to wonder to whom you will turn in any certain time or trial. It will always be to the Lord.

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:6 (NKJV).

Still concerning the matter of wisdom, James tells us that when we ask for it we must ask believing and without doubt. The doubt in a time of prayer is no prayer at all, but empty and shallow words.

Faith in prayer is humbly going to the throne of grace, solely depending on the Father to meet the need that is requested. In this case the need is for wisdom. As Christians we should know and believe that wisdom comes from God alone, so why should there be any doubting. Every believer has been given a measure of faith; faith that believes God, trust God, and is dependent upon Him.

It really doesn’t matter what need we bring to the throne of God, it should be asked without doubting. Doubting refers to having one’s thinking divided; not just mental indecision; but because of moral conflict or just an out and out mistrust in God - no trust in God.

The way of the doubter is likened to a "wave of the sea". These waves are those out at sea away from land. When a storm comes up the sea can get quite rough, due to the winds. We have heard it said of politicians and others, "They make their decisions by which ever way the wind blows". That meaning of course they have none of their own, but go with the direction of the "majority". Doubters cannot get an answer to their request for wisdom. They are doubting that God can and/or will give them wisdom.

If we cannot trust the Lord to give us wisdom, then, from whom shall it come? It will not and we will be in our own little world, condemned to follow the wisdom of the world, which is the wisdom of the devil.