Monday, February 15, 2010

58

James 1: 26, 27 (The Message)

"If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."

Your faith is useless if you don't do things to back it up. Real things. Real things for real people and for the world. Things that make humanity and the world better. God doesn't care if you can talk the "Christian" talk. He gets sick of you saying things to people about God if you don't live a life that reflects what He is about and what His Son spent His time on earth doing. It doesn't matter if you are a good talker and you have told yourself that you are doing all the right things. You have fooled yourself and it won't get you anywhere. Worse than that, after a while people won't even trust you, which would be a tragedy.

This is what you need to be about: giving your time and money away to people who need it. There are too many children in the world without parents to raise them. There are billions of people terribly alone and desperate for some company and help. And the world is poisonous and will stain your soft heart toward Jesus if you let it. So, be strong. Stay on your knees and ask God how He will use you to influence the world, and in the next breath beg beg beg Him to not let the things of the world fool you into thinking it has your back. The world looks pretty and thin and rich, but the world doesn't care about you. Ask the Holy Spirit in you to break your heart for the brokenness around you and keep you pure and soft toward the things of the Kingdom. Keep your mouth shut if you have to, but always be genuine in your faith and your love for people. Keep busy doing things for orphans and widows, and don't let the broken world mess you up.

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