Is it a blessing to be poor? In Luke 6:20, Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Jesus’ brother James addresses wealth in the context of enduring through trials. He gives encouragement to the poor believer and a word of wisdom to the rich.

James paints a graphic picture of what a rich person is like. “They will pass away like a wildflower. 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” (vv. 10–11). Whether we are believers or unbelievers, our riches will not last. The wise believer will realize that everything belongs to God, and we are to live as humble stewards of God’s resources.

Jeremiah 9:23–24 states, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” We are to boast not in wealth, not in our accomplishments, but only in our relationship to the Lord.

James closes with a beatitude, similar to those taught by Jesus. He states, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (v. 12). Whether poor or rich, trials affect all of us. It is the one who perseveres under trials that will receive the crown of life. The “crown of life” here seems to be a reward for those who faithfully endure to the end.

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