Do You Really Want God To Give You Wealth?

Here's what God requires of a wealthy man or woman: Glory in your humiliation.

James 1:9-11 says, "Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business." NASB

Want to be rich? Do you dream of your big break? Do you pray for God to bless you with wealth and influence?

Before God decides to answer that prayer, He may be asking a question of you: Are you the kind of person who can glory in your humiliation? If not, God probably shouldn't make you rich, then. It would imperil your soul.

If you prefer to take pride in your high position--to take comfort in the fact that whatever it looks like on the outside, God loves you and you are a child of the King of Kings--then it's probably best for your soul that you don't become too rich.

See, we're all eternal beings made in the image of God housed in dying bodies amidst a fallen world. We can focus on the glory within us, or on how our ephemeral lives flicker so briefly like candles in the wind. If the world says you are only grand or pathetic, it's probably good for you to spend energy reminding yourself that you're also the other.

Oh, and if you're American, you might want to look past your suburban neighbor for your definition of "rich" and start focusing on how low you really are. Compared to most of the world, middle class Americans are stinking rich.