A False Sense of Security

GETTING STARTED

Hardly anything is prettier than grass and lawns beginning to turn green in the spring. It lifts our spirits after winter. Our houses look better sitting on a carpet of green. Then summer comes, temperatures soar, and the sprinkler system goes to work, trying its best to keep the grass not just green, but alive. But that sprinkler system gives us a false sense of security. No matter how often the system waters, grass succumbs to the heat, and sometimes it dies. The same lesson is learned every summer: grass doesn’t last.

  • What are some things that you try to keep alive, which don’t last?

READ THE WORD: JAMES 1:9-11 (ESV)

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DIGGING DEEPER

  1. Another term for “exaltation” in verse 9 is “high position.” What is the high position that a Christian in humble circumstances has?
  2. What position do those with great wealth have (vs. 10)?  What is their end result?
  3. How did James describe something temporary that his listeners would understand (vs. 11)?
  4. These verses may seem like James abruptly changed subjects, yet they actually stay on the topic of trials from the preceding verses. How do these verses illustrate another kind of trial?
  5. Where do you get your sense of security? Does it come from your bank account or from your position as a child of God?

RESPOND TO GOD

Just like the Jewish Christians did in James’ day, it is easy for us to think that financial success is a sign of God’s favor, and likewise, that poverty might be a sign of his displeasure. James didn’t buy this view, and neither should we. These verses encourage the poor that their riches are in God’s grace, and their value is that they are God’s children. They also warn the wealthy of having a false sense of security in things that can disappear in a moment. Rich or poor, all Christians should view their circumstances from an eternal perspective, realizing that true wealth awaits them in heaven.

  • Ask God to reveal where you are putting your security in earthly things. Ask for a right perspective of true wealth.
  • Thank God that your security is in him alone.