James 1:9–12

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. 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.

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

My wife has a bunch of Girl Scout buddies who love to get together. They come from all levels of society. Some of them can barely afford to travel to their get-togethers. Others often fly on business jets.

But when they’re together, none of that matters. What matters is who knows how to tie a particular knot, or the best way to cook corn in a campfire. In the Girl Scouts’ universe, those are the things that matter. Most of the things that matter in our world aren’t important in theirs.

Christianity is, likewise, separate from the secular universe.

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” — John 18:36

Like the Girl Scout universe, Jesus’s kingdom has its own priorities. Wealth, fame, power, and all other forms of status in our culture mean nothing to this king.

And do not miss why the lowly brother [should] glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation. It’s because these things are as transient as a flower of the field.

They mean nothing; the eternal means everything.

This sets up an interesting segue to James’s discussion of temptation. Unlike riches, temptation connects to the eternal. The one who resists temptation will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

That last part is curious. Why not just say, “will receive the crown of life”? Why add, “which the Lord has promised to those who love Him”?

Because it forces a connection between loving Him and resisting temptation. This connection is made clearer by deconstructing the Greek word that’s translated as love here (ἀγαπῶσιν, agaposin). It’s from the root word agapé, which means sacrificial love—giving priority to someone other than yourself.

Loving Jesus means giving priority to Him. This explains John 14:21.

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” — John 14:21a

If you give in to temptation, then the Lord isn’t your top priority. That’s a lack of agapé.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.