True Religion

True Religion is more than a pair of jeans.

James 1:27 describes what religion really is: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted from the world.”

Does that verse challenge your thoughts on religion?  Are you still thinking about dry and boring rituals or are your thoughts taking a new path?

Taking this one select verse to construct an entire theology would not be appropriate. There are many who do that though.  I don’t think that’s what James had in mind when He heard from the Holy Spirit and penned those words. It can be dangerous to place too much emphasis on works. Often it’s a slippery slope- we end up doing more and more to try and please God our Father. Doing God’s work won’t cause Him to love us any more or any less, but it’s a sure sign that God’s love is living in us. I believe it does make Him proud, and I believe He does reward us for it, but it does not alter His love towards us one bit.  

As destructive spiritually as attempting to earn  God’s grace can be, ignoring or misunderstanding His words in James 1:27 can be equally damaging.  Many of us get so caught up in our own journey that we forget to pay attention to those we are passing by. God doesn’t place people in our path for no reason. So it’s a good idea to stay in tune with the Holy Spirit and pay close attention. Many people that we come across may have never had an encounter with the Living God, and their first glimpse of Him comes through us.

Perhaps you’re thinking to yourself, “ I don’t  really know any orphans or widows to take care of.”   I don't think the context of this verse limits us strictly to orphans and widows. That just doesn't match up with the rest of Scripture.Open your eyes and consciously look around. You’ll start seeing needs you never knew were there, and probably not far from your own front lawn.  Maybe a single mother  of four could use a gift card for  some groceries and diapers. Perhaps  an elderly neighbor is suffering exhaustion because they can’t sleep through the hot summer nights and you have an extra air conditioner. Possibly the coworker going through a divorce needs a listening ear. Give them your cell phone number with an open invitation to call any time, or take them out for coffee. Maybe you can cut the grass for the disabled  veteran up the street. Maybe you can visit a shut-in, volunteer at a shelter, or play your banjo at the nursing home.  If you can perform a song using only the G chord, I'll sign right up for that banjo playing stuff. Maybe I can even get Steve Martin to join me.  

Mother Theresa challenged us with these powerful words:

 “You  can find Calcutta anywhere in the world. You only need two eyes to see. Everywhere in the world there are people that are not loved, people that no one will help, people that are pushed away or forgotten. And this is the greatest poverty.”  

If you’re already chipping in around your community, good for you. Maybe it’s time to extend your reach. Maybe it’s time to think bigger. One huge issuing facing the world is AIDS.

Every hour, approximately 230 people die from AIDS. That means that just about  every four seconds, four parents are left without a precious child, or a child is left without a parent. You might be thinking, “Big deal. Four people per second isn’t that many. Why all the fuss? It’s just part of life.” I bet you wouldn’t be thinking that if every four seconds people were dropping dead in your town. Sooner or later you’d be affected. Sooner or later that statistic would include you, and then you’d start caring.

I read a quote from Bono. Perhaps you’ll have some theology issues with it. Perhaps you’ll  agree 100% Read it, and take it as you will:

“God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both of their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us, if we are with them.”

So my question is this- How is your religion doing? IF your religion is that of a follower of Jesus Christ, you should be keeping pretty busy  establishing relationship, meeting people’s needs and showing them love. After all, that’s the kind of religion that God the Father finds to be pure and faultless. 

Hunger

“Hunger is, in essence, the most basic form of poverty, where individuals or families can not afford to meet their most basic need for food.”  - Bread for the World ( www.Bread.org )

*1/3 of the world (more than 2 billion people)suffer from malnutrition

                                         *Approximately every 3 seconds somebody dies from hunger. That’s 25,000 people per day.

While the developing world is struggling to provide for the most basic of meals, the United States is literally killing itself with its eating habits. One epidemic in the US is heart disease, the leading  cause being a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol. The Unites States spends $150 billion each year to treat the effects of heart disease (The China Study.Campbell. BenBella Books, 2006.)  The budget for the entire World Food Program was reported at  $2.7 billion as of 2008. Try to wrap your mind around those numbers and think about that for a few seconds.   

We over indulge, and we under appreciate. In the last three days, I was blessed enough to dine out three times. Three nights in a row I spent almost enough to feed a hungry person in a third world country for an entire month.  I thought about that today and I wept. I  prayed and thanked God for each meal, but I'd be dishonest if I said that I had visions of starving children as I expressed my gratitude to God.   I can open up my fridge and bemoan that “there’s nothing to eat.” Then I hop in my car and drive to the next town up and can choose between two grocery stores and seven fast food restaurants.  Meanwhile, there is a mother in Africa holding her starving child and watching helplessly as it happens. Those commercials you see on TV of kids rooting through garbage for something to eat, that really happens. 

I read Matthew 14:18-21 in a whole new light today. In this passage of Scripture we see Jesus meeting the needs of the people by feeding them. This got me thinking: If Jesus cared about people being hungry so much that he performed a miracle to do it, shouldn't I take attention to the needs of the hungry as well?  

Ronald J. Sider has this to say," To those who do not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoners, Jesus will speak a terrifying word at the final judgement: 'Depart from me...' (Matthew 25:41)The meaning is clear and unambiguous. Jesus intends that  his disciples imitate his own special concern for the poor and needy. Lest we forget, God repeats it in 1 John 3:17-18. ' But if any one has the the world's goods and sees his brother in  need, yet closes his heart against him, How does God's love  abide in him...' The words are plain.  What do they mean for Western Christians who demand increasing affluence each year while Third World nations suffer malnutrition, deformed bodies and starvation? The text clearly says that if we fail to aid the needy we do not have God's love- no matter what w e may say. No matter what we say or do at 11:00 A.M. Sunday morning, affluent people who do not help the needy and neglect the poor are not the people of God." 

Wow! That's harsh. But, it's backed up by Scripture. We can't just ignore the needy. Jesus, God's perfect Son did not, and we are to model our lives after Him.

Ferdinand Mahfood,  the founder of Food  for the Poor, points out that it's our job to become aware, and once we are aware, to take action. "We must become aware of the need and the call to share our resources with the poor. We must examine our conscience often. Then, prodded out of our comfortable cocoons, we can truly be doers and not just hearers..."

So, what are you doing to meet the needs of the hungry in your community? In the world? Have you ever stopped to consider that you have the privilege to be able to help? Not one of us is helpless, we just need to open our eyes to the situation and seek ways that we can be part of the solution.

Ezekiel 16:49 speaks of Sodom, “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, over fed, and under concerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” Sounds a lot like America. Sounds a lot like me, to be honest. 

THOUGHT TO PONDER: How would you feel if your child had no food, no clean water, and was wasting away right before your very eyes?

Today I realized that I have never really stopped to be thankful for what I have. Yeah, I pray before I eat but I never contrast what I am blessed with to what others are needing around the world. How different my spirit feels when I empathize. I find myself wanting to seek out little ways to change the lives of those who are suffering.

According to Food for the Poor, a $175  donation can feed an entire family for a year. That's not a typo. $175 feeds a family for one full year. Having heard stories from my mother who returned from a missions trip to Honduras, it's heart breaking to think of all that I have spent $175 on this past year. I'm convinced that, for the most part, what was true to Sodom is true to most of the developed world- we are "arrogant, over fed, and under concerned..." 

I'm not wanting to leave you feeling helpless and guilty, quite the contrary, actually. I want to leave you thinking beyond yourself and looking at the world for needs that you can help meet.  Maybe you have funds that you can readily contribute. Perhaps you can spend some time volunteering at your local food bank or shelter. No matter what you are able to do, we are are all able become educated on the topic of hunger. Spend some time on Google, talk to somebody who has gone on a missions trip and look through their pictures. You'll not soon forget what you discover. Remember, if you're reading this from the United States, you live in one of the most affluent countries in the history of the world. You are not helpless to make a difference.

Here's just a few places where you can donate. All of these charities score highly on 

the charitynavigator.org

www.worldvision.org/

www.bread.org

www.compassion.com/

God wants all of me. Every single bit of me. I'm a stubborn and strong willed person, so I find this difficult at times. I'm discovering I'm not so good with total submission, but that's what Jesus calls me to.He wants me to arrive at a place of complete surrender. Nothing less. It's not easy to let go of things—relationships, dreams, careers, lifestyles, past hurts,  but in the end the benefits are worth the cost. God wants the best for my life, and He knows exactly what that is. 

Scripture confidently declares that  God knows what He is doing, after all, He is God. In Jeremiah 29:11, we read: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. And Psalm 139:16 gives us the confidence that, "[God] saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."
I think I've learned, probably the hard way, that it cost far more to hold my life back from God than it does to completely hand it over as a beautiful act of worship. When I attempt to handle life on my terms, I set myself up for the consequences that  follow. When I try to run my own life, I am not allowing God to be  Master. I may be calling him Lord, but my actions do not line up with somebody who has relinquished control of their life. Paul gives us an example of this dualism in Romans 6:16:  "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"

I'm not sure why I struggle so much with giving control of my life over to the One who spoke everything into existence. Maybe it's driven in part by pride and fear. One thing I have figured out though- no life and no past mistakes, are beyond redemption. It might be a long hard road, but when we surrender our lives over to Him, God will always restore us with  His abounding grace and mercy.

The world offers many solutions to despair. Substances, prescriptions, possessions, relationships, formulas to follow and best selling books to read. On and on the list goes. In the end they all just serve as substitutes and distractions,trying to fill a great void in our souls. We search and search for anything to give us peace, but there is an emptiness built into us that can only be satisfied through an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm sure you've heard soembody say "There's a God sized hole in each of us that only God can fill." Well, that might be an overused saying, but it is 100%  true. God designed us to be in deep, loving, and intimate relationship with Him.


“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promises." CS Lewis

Take time to absorb what God is teaching you. Respond joyfully, in faith. Many times we have weak spots that are hard for us to see but God's Spirit is revealing them to us. He's ever patient with us as we are refined. The process of dealing with issues may seem painful, but will prove well worth it. As we lose more of ourselves to become more Christlike, our character, and ultimately, entire life will be transformed.

" Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"  Romans 2:4

What's on the horizon?

I am on the verge of doing something big, something incredible, perhaps unfathomable. I don't know what it is, but for the first time in a long while, I have given my all to God. I know something monumental is on the horizon! Complete surrender. I always have held back,. I know now this was because of my insecurity. I don't like not knowing, that is until now. Now I know, I just don't have all the details. I like not having the details; it grows my faith and allows God his proper authority. If I claim Him as my Master, He deserves to be treated as such. I know my life is about to explode and spread God all over. I know that I no longer feel weighed down by my sense of inferiority, for if I am lacking, it is for God's glory. In my weakness, He makes me strong! Thank you Lord for taking my defeated life and raising it up to victory! Thank you for the process, though it wasn't pretty, it was beneficial. To You be all glory. You have revived my spirit, and I will never stop praising You!

Changing for a reason

We replace God in our hearts. It is human nature. It is also in our nature to deny doing this. There is a peace that only God can provide. Humans were built to be balanced, but we can't reach that place without Him. We can't get to Him without removing our spiritual distractions. We must allow God to identify areas in our life that require surrender. Be ready, this is a painful process. First instinct is to resist, but allow God to convict you and be ready to follow through. Are you pushing God away and attempting to fill in the gaps with replacements? Social status? Food? Exercise? Career? Relationships? Sex? Drugs? Gossip? We all do it, and we all do it in different ways. Some substitutes are more obvious than others. Obviously  on the surface it is easier to identify the spiritual troubles of a drug addict than the person who tries to replace God's love with, say, a relationship. The root of both is the same- a desire to feel satisfied. Get real before God. Go to His throne and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what area of your life you need to turn over to Him, what area is unbalanced, what places do you run to in order to hide from Him, to avoid facing His convictions? To feel a phony, counterfeit, sense of fulfillment?
We are designed to be balanced spiritually, mentally, and physically. May we seek Christ first and allow Him to be our focus and our source of satisfaction. May we define ourselves as His own, and identify our value from the priceless gift of salvation He gives freely to us. May we hunger and thirst after Him.