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Tom Petty sings of someone that is sweet enough, deserves enough, and enjoys life enough to be among the wildflowers, meaning enjoying beauty and life, and love. His song is very sweet, one of my favorites. And yes, I could also revamp the song to include a message so spiritual, to be us and Jesus together, in a place Divine…

James, the brother of Jesus, spoke of the wild flowers, yet James realized (and Jesus taught) that the wildflowers too, however beautiful, would fade away. Fade away… Richness fades, health fades, possessions fade. Wise Solomon spoke of this too in Ecclesiastes: there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 

Yes, we are rich in life but richness will fade away, life here will fade too but life of eternity won’t… God loves us so much to pick up into His bouquet of children, SO much more valuable than the wildflowers. So let’s be rich in wisdom and if rich in possessions, let us not be without APPRECIATION in life and be good stewards of them. We can have appreciation of what we have, what we will inherit, what we can pass on. We have to decide to be wise about what we do, spend, save, pass forward. If we teach anything to our children, demonstrating anything, let it be gratitude. 

Here is the advice from James, remembering both the wildflowers concept and also remembering to NOT doubt when God DOES give you advice:James said (chpt 1:5-11): If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

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.

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And Jesus taught (Luke 12:15-21): “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

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And Solomon said (Ecclesiastes 3:9-15): What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

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Jesus taught (Luke 12:25-31): Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you – you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

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So, let us always be RICH TOWARDS GOD, heed advice, be appreciative, share. Let us enjoy life now among the wildflowers and love that we are loved, forever…

Amen