James 1:11-12 For the sun rises with it’s scorching heat and withers the grass, the flower falls and it’s beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

How many times has the sun risen and fallen on you in your life? For me it is about 12960 times give or take a month. How many rich men have been driven in their pursuits and lost in them and faded away into the past. Countless. And countless more. James is pointing out here that the sun consistently rises and wastes the flower. It happens over and over again. It happens over and over again to man as he chases and becomes enamored by other things that aren’t God. We all do it to some extent. And so as simply as the sun rising again, another rich man (focused on wealth) perishes, fades away, is forgotten. The one who is focused on God and seeks Him for his joy is not forgotten, but remembered and preserved forever and ever. They will receive the crown of life? simply because he stands under a great weight? no. because the power that allows him to stand up under the weight is God, power He has received because God has brought him to love Him. We persevere, not by our own strength, or might or finances, but because God allows and empowers us to do so. God does the work. He gets the glory and we get the joy of being with Him for eternity. It doesn’t seem quite right that He would crown us with life, but this is in fact what he does for those that love Him more than wealth and possessions and self. May we be aware and desirous of God, may we love Him in response to the great love and mercy and grace he has shown us.