James 1:11 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.
Riches provide some comforts to life but they are too easily lost. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). James gives a strong warning to the rich in this verse. Death takes every human. We leave the world as we came into it: with nothing. It amazes me to read about wealthy people doing all they can to make money when they are in their 60s, 70s, or 80s. What good will this money do them? It can be left to their descendants in some settings, but this wealth cannot buy them into heaven. Wealth often comes at the expense of the poor. Wealth eats away at the heart. It fuels pride. It offers false promises. It may look good for a time but it can perish like the grass. I have lived quite a bit of my life in southern Idaho. This area is beautiful in the spring with green hills of new grass. But as the summer heat comes, the grass dies. All that is left is brown with the occasional sage brush. It has a certain beauty but someone used to the lush tropical green of the Philippines might be shocked by the desolation of the desert. The exception to the dry hills of Idaho are the green irrigated fields of farmers. When the heat comes, grass dies. When trials and struggles come to the rich, if they are not anchored in Jesus, they will dry up like this grass.
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