Religion that is Faultless!

James 1:27 NIV

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 by the world.

James 1:26-27 MSG

Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.


James 1:27 AMP

External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.


It seems simple, help the "homeless and loveless in their plight" and don't be sucked into what the world thinks is important.  Helping others, needs no further explaination.  Not being of this world while we live in this world is a lot harder to understand.  Should we completely deny ourselves and our familes and give most of what we have to others?  Should we give only what we have as extra to others?  Should we give out of love what we feel is appropriate?
2 Cor 8:13-15 NIV

"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.  At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

So, it is somewhare in between, we should help others from our abundance and if the time ever comes we should need help we will be helped by others.  Along with this I have the inner feeling that we should live frugal lives (not of this world but in this world).  This means living below our means so that we have the resouces to help those less fortunate then we are.  Most of us live in neighborhoods where our neighbor are not "homeless and loveless in their plight".  We may have to look elsewhere to find those who disperately need help, it may be in other neighborhoods, it may be in other cities, it may be in other states, it may be in other countries.

I have read and prayed enough, it is now time to show my faith through actual actions.


James 2:14-26 NIV

Faith and Deeds

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.   But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.   You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?  Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.  You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.  In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?  As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.



I will pray to Jesus to give me the strength to do what is right through actions and to have the courage to ignore what others may think.  To be in this world and not of this world - Amen!

Grace and Generosity

I just read "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper, it was a good book it had a lot of good ideas and points.  The one point that keeps coming back to my thoughts are how the author suggested that we should be like Jesus and give grace (forgiveness) and be generous.

After thinking about this I agree that this is something that Jesus stated very clearly in his teachings.  He stated that we should not forgive seven times but seventy seven times.  In other words there should not be a limit to our ability to forgive someone that repents of their sins.

Luke 17:3-4  So watch yourselves.  “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

 
The other half of this is to be generous
 
Proverbs 11:25 "A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."

Proverbs 22:9 "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor."

Luke 11:41 "But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you."

I know I used some old testament, but Jesus has been around since before time began.
 
So, it seems to me that being generous and giving forgiveness as often as possible is staying within Jesus's teaching about the two greatest commandments. 
 
Mark 12:29-30 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”
 
Because we all would like to be forgiven and we all appreciate the blessings we are given by the generousity of others.  If God can be so generous with us and give us some many blessings, it seems like a simple thing to forgive others and to be generous.
 
I will pray for a heart that is forgiving and generous.
 
 
 

Listening to God - The Holy Spirit

I'm ashamed to admit it but I pray that God would lead me and show me how He wants me to live.  Then when He tries to direct  my life and tell me something to do I ignore it and or reason it away.  What I'm talking about is how you get a gut feeling and or a thought to do something and instead of doing it you ignore that thought or inner voice or find a reason that you can't do it.

One example is when you may see a homeless person and you get the feeling to help that person but before you do you reason that they must want to be homeless in America because in America everyone can get  help.  Or that they probably are drug addicts and or drunks and only want to get their next fix.

Another simple example is when you get the feeling to call someone that you haven't spoken too in some time, but we shake that off as weird and go about or daily business.  Then we you do take the time to call that person it usually points out why God wanted you to call.  It may have been that person was thinking about you or some other reason.  This isn't coincidence, this is the Holy Spirit directing us and we should follow.

You drive by or don't call that person and then when the Holy Spirit convicts you, you learn to ignore your feelings of regret.  As you do this more and more you become hardened to God's word.  You create a barrier between you and God's voice so that you can't hear Him anymore. 

In the old testament in the Bible it speaks of the Hebrews as being a stiff neck group, stubborn, and unwilling to listen.  I believe that is many of us, I know it is me in the way I let my daily thoughts and worries block out God's direction for my life. 

God wants in on every aspect of our life from the simplest action to the grandest dream we may have.  He loves every part of us and wants only the best for us even if we don't understand the final destination.

I pray that I will have the courage and faith to listen to God and immediately move in the direction he wants me to take.  I also will pray that through this practice of listening that I will live a life being lead by God.

Judging Others

Lately I have been very critical of others.  I have said somethings that were critical and in my heart I have been quietly judging others.  How their actions or words were a big mistake and how they should be punished and pay for their words or actions.

The Holy Spirit has been condemning me for these words that I spoke and the thoughts that I have had and has caused me to think about what I have said and held in my heart.  So, after some contemplation, I know in my heart (Holy Spirit) I'm not suppose to be critical of others and judge them.  It doesn't mean I have to agree with what they have done and or allow evil to flourish., but I have to follow Luke 6:37 (NIV):
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

So, if I believe the word of God and I most certainly do than I must follow the word of God and not Judge others.

I also believe we all reap what we sow -
Galatians 6:7 (NIV): "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

and we have to pay for our actions.  So, the actions of others will be handled by God and what they receive in their life.

So, I will pray for strength from our Lord Jesus Christ so that I do not judge others so that I will not be judged.

Native American Wisdom

When I was in the other world with the Old Man,
I saw all the people who have died.
But they were not sad....
It was a pleasant land, level without
rocks or mountains, green all the time, and rich
with an abundance of game and fish.
Everyone was forever young.

After showing me all of heaven, God told me to
go back to earth and tell his people you must be
good and love one another, have no quarreling,
and live in peace....

Wovoka, Paiute
(His vision of the Ghost Dance revival, 1889)

In this way of life!

Matthew 28:18-20 (The Message)


Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

• Train them in "this way of life"
• Baptism
• "instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you"

He does not say build large churches in my name!
 
He doesn't say give 10% tithe to the church!
 
He doesn't say meet every Sunday to sing and pray together!
 
He says to go and Baptise people and train them in the way of life, what is this way of life?
 
This seems to be the question that is constantly coming to me as I live my life - WHAT IS THIS WAY OF LIFE!
 
Is it the American Dream? This is the stress, this is the hard way through life.
 
I believe it is something more and I also belive it is easier than we all try to make it.
 
Jesus said: - "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:30 (NIV)

His yoke is easy not hard - His way is easy not hard, His burden is light not heavy.
 
I will pray that I have the courage and strength to find and live the life that Jesus wants for me and wants for everyone.

How to Live!

Micah 6:8 Message

"But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously -
take God seriously.

Seems pretty easy, so, why do we get so much religion and not just the simple facts of what God wants.