Burunche’s Blog

James 3:3 – 6 “When we put bits into the mouths of the horses to make them obey us, we can guide the whole animal. Consider ships as well. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot is inclined. In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze. The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

Once upon a time, the various body parts had a meeting to decide who was the most powerful part of the body. “I am!” said the Legs. “I can run and jump and do all sorts of things.” “I am,” said the Brain. “If I don’t think of something, the rest of you will have nothing to do.” “ Many of the other Body parts came up with arguments as to their own importance. Finally, there was silence. “Well,” said the Tongue, “I am not very big and I am not very strong, but whatever I say will determine what the rest of you get to do.” The rest of the Body parts agreed that the Tongue was correct.

The big on a horse’s bridle is only about 4 inches long, but it is placed next to the horse’s tongue, a very sensitive part of the body. A huge horse is controlled by a small bit. And it’s true that ships that are far larger than the ones with which James was familiar are steered successfully with relatively small rudders.

Many times it is the things that we do not say that are as important as the things that we do say. How many of us have said something, only to heartily wish later on that we had kept quiet? How many of us have added that last point to an argument, only to realize that we have just defeated ourselves?

If we are going to be true followers of God, we must watch what we say carefully and realize that there is always potential for someone to misunderstand us. One of my friends posted something on Facebook to support a certain point, only to be severely criticized by a stranger who had misunderstood the stance my friend took. At that point, explanations were useless.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 140:3 – 4 “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness…” Let this be the prayer all of us keep before us!

PRAYER: Father God, do set a guard over our mouths and our lips! Do not allow our hearts turn to wickedness! Help us ever to speak life – giving encouragement to those around us. Thank you for your Goodness! Thank you for yoru Grace! Thank you for your Faithfulness! And thank you most of all for your Love. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

 “Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speeech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.”James 3: 1 – 2 (The Message)

Why is James talking about teaching? After forcing readers to examine their actions, James is now turning to an even trickier area: our tongues and the ways in which we use them. James is introducing the challenge of the tricky tongue by mentioning a profession in which people must routinely speak thousands if not millions of words every day in front of their classes.

Want to find out how IMPERFECT you are? Just become a teacher! As soon as you stand in front of a classroom, you find yourself questioning why you are there and why you think you have anything to share in the first place. If you don’t question yourself, your students or their parents, or the community, or the school hierarchy will do it for you sooner or later! There’s nothing easy about becoming a teacher!

One of my most useful experiences was teaching Junior High General Science to four classes of eighth graders and one class of seventh graders. Five times a day, I had to get up before classes of 28 -35 twelve and thirteen year – olds and try to hold their attention. The period immediately after lunch was particularly tough, when all my students wanted to do was to descend into food comas! But just because my students did not appear to be paying attention did not mean that they were not listening to everything and that they would not repeat everything I said. No, teaching is not for the faint of heart! Had I known Eugene Peterson’s description from The Message, I would certainly have agreed with it. “ And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths.”

Why are our words so important? When I was a child, adults would quote this rhyme whenever we complained about someone insulting us at school: “Sticks and stones might break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” But that rhyme was a lie! In fact, the pain from being hit with a stick or a stone may go away quickly, but foul vicious words find their way into our spirits and can eat at our hearts forever. When my high school class was planning a reunion, one woman who was contacted responded by saying, “You didn’t care about me then, so I don’t care about you now.” How sad! This lady had been very quiet as a high school student, but someone had said something mean to her that continued to wound her.

Social media today has become a mine field of vicious comments, people responding to vicious comments, people responding to responses about vicious comments, etc. James was right; most of us get it wrong most of the time and there are no perfect people. Once something appears in print, it can be quoted and held against us. Let us be careful to make sure that our speech is salted with love.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to say only what you want us to, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. Help us to remember that the wounds we inflict with our tongues may be far more deadly than any other kind of wound. Help us to speak kindness and not hatred, to speak mercy and not judgement. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 2:20 – 26 “O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless? Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected 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 a friend of God. As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

Back in Abraham’s day, child sacrifice was not that uncommon. Study the Old Testament, and you’ll find some grisly examples! But when God asked Abraham to offer up Isaac, this was a supreme test. Isaac was a miracle child, conceived and born when his parents were already to collect Social Security. There was never going to be another Isaac, and now God was asking Abraham to give up the one thing he treasured most. How could God be so cruel and unfair? By the time that the Jewish spies showed up at Rahab’s place in Jericho, she might have already been out of the prostitution business and dyeing material instead. (That might explain where she got the scarlet cord to hang from her window to mark her house.) But Rahab had some kind of standing in the community and now she was risking everything for the sake of these strangers. This woman must have been crazy!

 Ah, but God had better plans! The Bible tells us that God knows the end from the beginning and that God has plans for us that are far better than anything we can plan for ourselves. (Jeremiah 29:11) God was testing Abraham and Rahab to see if they would act in faith or in their own self interest, and both of them passed the test. For Abraham, there was a ram in the thicket to serve as the sacrifice. For Rahab, her actions saved her entire family. In addition, if you look at the geneologies, you realize that Rahab appears in the line that eventually led to Jesus Christ. In the “Faith Chapter,” Hebrews 11, Rahab and Abraham are both mentioned as being among the faithful.

In translating these passages, Eugene Peterson mentions the “seamless unity of believing and doing” and tells us that that is what counts with God. “It’s that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?” (James 2:24 The Message)

Today it has become popular to closely scruitinize and criticize others for their slightest political comments. But God has a different set of standards, and in the end, it’s God to whom we must answer. The question for us is this: Does our faith mesh with our actions? God is looking for friends all the time, but are we behaving as God’s friends or as something else and something less? Brothers and sisters, if we are going to be fruit inspectors, we need to start with ourselves!

PRAYER: Father God, please let us work the works you want us to! Let our faith and our deeds mesh in such a way that you are not ashamed to call us your friends. Help us to serve you faithfully all the days of our lives. And help us to remember that we must inspect our own fruit before turning our attention to someone else’s. Help us so to live that you can call us your friends. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 2:18 – 19 “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

It was a wonderful machine! Everybody said so! The gears were bright and shiny. The mechanisms appeared to mesh perfectly. The outer case was made of a gleaming material so bright that it dazzled the eyes of all who saw it. Everything appeared to be perfect; yet, when the machine was started, the wheels went round and round, the engine worked perfectly, but there was no output! Upon close examination, it was revealed that one shaft at the last part of the machine was mis-placed in such a way that it prevented the last two wheels from meshing properly. And the final lever that should have been connected to the axle of the last wheel was hanging useless. When the engineers who designed the machine asked the mechanic why he hadn’t completed the job, he said, “Well, it looked all right to me.” But it wasn’t all right at all! There was a disconnect that made the magnificent machine useless!

Faith and deeds are like the cogs in a fine machine; you can’t have one without the other. James reminds us that if you only talk about God being one, it’s no big deal. Even the demons do that much, shuddering as they do so. Faith without works is like that machine – it might look impressive, but it accomplishes nothing.

Eugene Peterson in The Message translates James 2:18 -20 as saying “Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?”

Jesus warned his disciples about this problem when he spoke about fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7: 18 – 20

The big question each of us must face is this: what kind of fruit are WE bearing? Today, there are many self – appointed fruit inspectors….as long as they are inspecting someone else’s fruit! Recently social media has exploded with vicious attacks that amount to condemnation of someone else’s fruit. But the problem is that we are not answerable for anybody’s fruit but our own. And what kind of fruit pleases God? We find the answer in Galatians 5:22 – 23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Today, let’s not worry about someone else’s machine or someone else’s fruit. Let’s make sure that our faith and our deeds match and that our fruit is good and not rotten or sour.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives! Help us to look to you and to watch for your leading, so that our faith will bring the results you want. Increase our faith, Lord, so that we can do even more to please you. And help us so that the fruits of your Holy Spirit will be evident in our lives. Let us live to serve you and to please you. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 2:14 – 17 “What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? So too, faith by itself, if it is not complemented by action, is dead.”

It was Christmas time and bitterly cold, a damp, biting penetrating cold that defied the layers of winter clothing worn by Christmas shoppers. A teen – age girl in ragged clothing was sitting inside the entrance to the shopping mall. Next to the girl was a two year old little boy wrapped in a blanket that had seen better days. Each time shoppers entered the mall, the girl’s face lit up in hopes that this might be someone who would help her. And each time, the girl’s face fell as the preoccupied shoppers rushed past, intent on completing their lists. “Tommy,” she told the little boy, “just wait. I prayed this morning for God to help us, and I am sure God wanted me to come here.”

One well – dressed woman entered and slowed as she walked past the girl. “Surely,” she thought, “that girl looks familiar. But if she needs assistance, there are always charities. All she has to do is to apply to one. And anyway, if I don’t hurry and connect with my daughter, I will be late for the women’s meeting at church tonight.” And the woman hurried away into the mall.

Hours went by; it was now late afternoon. A weary middle – aged lady in a waitress uniform with worn – out shoes slowly entered the mall. Spying the girl, the woman walked over to her and sat next to her. “Dear, you look familiar. What’s your name?” the woman asked.

“My name is Diana,” the young girl replied. “I was named for my Aunt Diana, my mother’s younger sister. But my aunt and both of my parents are dead. They all died in a car crash a year ago.”

“What a cute little boy! Is he yours?” the lady asked.
“No,” replied the teen. “This is my baby brother who was with my parents at the time of the accident. Because he was in a good car seat, he survived.”

“So are you in school?” the lady continued.

“I graduated from high school in the spring. Now Tommy and I share one room at a friend’s house and I work at a fast food restaurant. But my wages are barely enough, and now my friend is getting married and will be moving. Soon we will have nowhere to live.”

“Dear,” the lady asked, “was your mother Diana Larson and her husband John Larson?”

“Why yes,” replied the girl. “How could you guess that?”

“Dear,” answered the woman, “My name is Margaret Lindgren. I grew up with your mother and her sister. We graduated from high school together. I was married but my husband died two years ago, and we never had any children. I have a small place, but there are two bedrooms. It’s very lonely being there by myself. If you like, you can come live with me. I would love the company, and I enjoy children.” At this, Diana burst into tears of joy and relief! Margaret helped Diana gather up Tommy and they left together. Shortly after that, the very well – dressed woman who had passed by earlier bustled up with her daughter. “Mom, I tell you, I saw my friend Diana and her baby brother right here! You must have walked by them as you came in!”

“Oh, I did see a young girl sitting there, but she looked ragged and dirty. And anyway, there are charities…”

“Mo-om! I TOLD you that Diana lost both her parents last year and that she was working at Kentucky Fried Chicken! ”
“Oh, yes, I guess you did. Well, since she’s not here, do you want to get something to eat?”asked the woman, leading her daughter toward a restaurant.

“God,” prayed the daughter, “please help my friend! And please forgive me for failing her.”

There’s a meme that says “God is not interested in your ability; He is interested in your availability.” We may feel that we have few resources and little talent. God, on the other hand, is just waiting for someone with exactly our qualifications so that He can use us to help someone else. In this story, it was not the rich lady from the suburbs who saw Diana’s need and met it; it was a tired waitress who was probably working for minimum wage. But God put Diana and Margaret together; now Diana has a friend and a mother figure and a place to live and Margaret has Diana’s company and can help Diana raise Tommy. Who knows what wonderful things will come to all of these people, just because Margaret stopped to ask Diana if she needed help?

Just before Jesus was to be crucified, he described for his disciples what was going to happen at the day of judgement.

Matthew 25:31-40 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’

And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’”

PRAYER: Father God, forgive our hardness of heart! Forgive us for not having compassion on those around us! Lord, let our hearts break with the things that break your heart. And help us to help others – simply, humbly, and in practical ways – so that they will see your hand of mercy and love in our actions. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 2:10 – 13 “Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Judging is a very dangerous business! When we begin to judge others, we are like a man who stretches a tightrope over a burning building and then begins to try to walk across it. As the man gets further out on the tightrope, the heat from the flames causes the rope to wave up and down. If the flames get close enough to the rope, the rope might even burn through, dropping the man into the midst of the fire! When James wrote about adultery and murder, there might have been many who might have said, “But I have never committed adultery or murder.” But how many of us have set ourselves up as critics? How many of us today are busy scrutinizing others and judging them? How many of us have actually committed little murders in our hearts, even if we have never picked up a deadly instrument?

When Jesus was teaching about the Kingdom of God, he said to his disciples, “Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1 – 2

A pithier version of this is simply “what goes around, comes around.” All of us mess up and make mistakes. There is not a single one of us who has not made major errors or who has not said things that we later regret. And when we make mistakes, we hope our friends and acquaintances will be merciful. But to receive mercy, we must first be willing to give it.

In Matthew 18 Jesus told a story about a fellow who had incurred a staggering amount of debt. When this man begged the ruler to whom he owed such a huge amount, the ruler graciously forgave the debt. But then this same man saw someone who owed him a small amount of money. Rather than copying the generosity this man had just received, he pursued his creditor. When the ruler learned of this man’s merciless treatment, he withdrew his forgiveness and put the man and his family into prison. That man’s children were to be punished for his debt, even though they had nothing to do with incurring it. If any other children were born to that family, they too would inherit that debt.

All of us want mercy! All of us need mercy! All of us have a sin – debt with which we were born. By ourselves, we cannot possibly pay our sin debt. We do not qualify for God’s mercy. But Jesus paid the blood price for our sins when he died on Calvary. If we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord and follow him, our sins will be forgiven. Our debt will be wiped out. But as we have received mercy, we must also give mercy to others. If we insist on continuing to judge others and to tear them apart, one day we might hear Jesus say these terrible words, “Depart from me, you evil – doers! I never knew you!”

PRAYER: Father God, help us! We start out our days with good intentions but very quickly descend into judging and condemning others. Lord, hear our prayer! Heal our hearts. Help us to always remember that it’s only because of your mercy that we continue to exist. Help us to be merciful to others and to be channels of your love and grace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 2:8 – 9 “If you really keep the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

Levitcus 19:18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”

Matthew 19:19 …You shall love your neighbor as you do yourself.”

The caption for this devotional is taken from a billboard that appeared in several American cities a few years ago. Sadly, from recent events, it is obvious that people reading the billboard didn’t believe it was true. These days criticism is the rule and not the exception. Take any stance at all and someone is sure to attack and begin labeling on the flimsiest of evidence.

Human nature really hasn’t changed since James wrote this epistle. Experienced pastors read this book and think, “Oh yeah! This sounds familiar!”

James has already warned about discriminating against the poor and downtrodden and now he tackles the root of the problem of discrimination: self – centeredness and a refusal to extend to others the same love we have for ourselves. “But I don’t really love myself!” you might say. “I don’t like my hair, I’m over weight, I’m too short/too tall….” The list might be endless. But the question is this: In whose interest are you most likely to act, your own or someone else’s?

We are built to love ourselves. There is nothing wrong with loving yourself, just as long as you are willing to love others with as much passion and energy. The writer or Ephesians explains how we are supposed to love “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.” But none of us really meet that standard.

Spoiler Alert: By ourselves, we CAN’T possibly love others to that depth. And as long as we are depending on our own efforts, we are going to continue to fail. No matter how much you might make up your mind to discipline your thoughts, sooner or later you will find yourself analyzing someone else critically. If you could see into your own heart and mind, you would find that you were discriminating – oh so subtly – but discriminating all the same.

“Well, if this is impossible, why did God give us this command in the first place?” you might ask in frustration. The answer is this: God knew that by ourselves, we would always blow it. But Jesus came to live and die as a man, shedding His blood for our sins so that we might be saved. What we cannot do by ourselves, the power of God CAN do. And this is the goal of James’ teachings.

It has been said that James was writing largely for Jewish believers who were used to following the Law in a works – based relationship with God. (“If I do this act, God, you have to give me _____.”) Throughout this epistle James is trying to help us realize that works alone are not enough; faith is also needed. But faith without works is also dead – theories that lead nowhere are worthless.To live the faith life as we should, we need to have the power of God in our lives; otherwise, we are bound to fail. The good news of the Gospel is that God has made His power available to us, if we will only ask.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you that we don’t have to attempt to live a faith life without you! You are the One who gives us the power to love. Lord, help us to love as you do, for you love the unlovable and those who do the unthinkable. Let that power that raised Jesus from the dead come into our hearts right now. Help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 2:5-7 “Listen, dear friends. Isn’t it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the worlds ‘s down-and-out as the kingdom’s first citizens, with full rights and privilieges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God. And here you are abusing these same citizens! Isn’t it the high and mighty who eploit you, who use the courts to rob you blind? Aren’t they the ones who scorn the new name -“Christian”-used in your baptisms?”

In August 1973, four people were kidnapped by bank robbers in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Over the course of six days, those kidnapped developed a kind of sympathy for their captors, so much so that one of them expressed fear of the police who eventually rescued them. This phenomenon became known as “Stockholm Syndrome.”

For those downtrodden by society in the days of the early church, the message of Christianity was revolutionary! Women, slaves, the poor of both sexes – all suddenly learned that God loved them and that Jesus had died for them just as much as for the rich. In those days, rich people paraded through the streets with guards, trumpeters, and all kind of attendants. It was the rich who lent out money and it was the rich who were ever ready to haul the poor off to court, there to extract the last penny. It was the rich who could have people beaten and their small households broken up if they failed to pay debts. It was the rich who might even force a family to sell a son or daughter into slavery. In many places, women were little better than slaves and slaves were considered as being barely human. No wonder then, that many of the early converts were slaves and women! This was the first time anybody had given them a sense of self – worth. At the same time evidently, many wealthy people started out by despising the name “Christian” and why not? This was the movement that was creating social upheaval. As those who benefitted from the status quo, the rich had no wish to see anything change.

Ironically, at the same time the poor and lowly born were being abused, they also developed a kind of Stockholm Syndrome sympathy for their abusers, the rich. Many poor people evidently felt obliged to give the rich whatever they wished, and this extended to the church. By the time James was writing this epistle, it was evidently quite common to give rich people seats of honor in the front of the church, while sending the poor people to the back. (You could argue that this was not Stockholm Syndrome, but simply fear of reprisals once church ended and everyone was back out on the street!)

What James teaches us is that God is not impressed by wealth, power, or social position. Why should God be impressed? He created all of us and knew us when we were fetuses in our mothers’ wombs. New born babies are cute but not particularly impressive! No, God’s kingdom consists of those who love Him, regardless of their social or financial status. We are given full rights and privileges in the kingdom of God through our acceptance of Jesus’ blood sacrifice for us at Calvary.

Throughout this entire epistle, James is urging us, wooing us, and scolding us – all with the goal of having us examine our hearts and our motives. “The Kingdom of God is coming,” says James, “but are you behaving as a citizen of that Kingdom? Do your actions truly measure up to the principles you claim to hold dear?”

PRAYER: Father God, help us not to discriminate but to love equally, without regard for social or financial status. Teach us to value others as You value us. We thank You for loving us and for giving us the power to fulfill Your will for our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

“My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious Christ – originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, “Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!” and either ignore the street person or say, “Better sit here in the back row,” haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted?” (The Message)

Everybody in First Church knew that this was the Sunday their new pastor was to arrive, but nobody knew exactly when he would turn up. The new pastor was moving from a far away city, and he had told the congregation that he would provide his own transportation. (This is pre – COVID – 19.) The pastor of a neighboring church was handling the service that morning. The big congregation had already begun singing the first hymn when there was a commotion at the back of the church. Some homeless guy nobody had ever seen before had quietly slipped in and was looking around for a seat. Unfortunately, all the seats in the back were taken, and so the usher was in a quandry: should he give this man a seat in the front where everybody could see him, or should he simply ask him to leave?

The homeless guy had an old over coat with torn pockets and running shoes with one sole flapping. He was wearing a dirty ball cap and he looked like he needed a shave. There seemed to be some kind of bottle in a brown paper bag sticking out of the man’s coat pocket. But the man appeared to be clean and so the usher brought him forward to a place on the second row next to the center aisle. There were some raised eyebrows and a few of the deacons were heard muttering to themselves. But a lady sitting next to the homeless man handed him a hymnal and a bulletin and gave him a pat on the shoulder and a big smile. The homeless man continued to behave himself properly and listened to the sermon with rapt attention. The pastor conducting the service appeared totally unworried about this new addition to the congregation.

Finally, at the close of the sermon, the preacher stopped and announced, “As you all know, today is the Sunday for your new pastor, Buck Smith, to arrive. What you might not know is that Buck and I roomed together in seminary and have been close friends ever since. So now it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you, Buck Smith, your new pastor.” Heads were swiveling as people scanned the large crowd, but nobody saw anyone who looked like a pastor. And that’s when the preacher said, “Buck, you’ve fooled these people long enough! Come up here and let them get a really good look at you.”

There were gasps throughout the congregation as the homeless man shucked off his ragged old coat, removed the dirty ball cap, and ran his fingers through his hair before joining the preacher on the platform. “Good morning, everyone,” Pastor Smith said. “I apologize for joining you in this informal fashion. But I wanted to see what kind of Christians you really were. Congratulations! You just passed a major test! I chose to leave my previous congregation because they worshiped money more than they worshiped God. Had you turned me away this morning, I was prepared to write refusing to accept the position and to look for a position somewhere else.”

Yesterday I mentioned the horrific assault on a homeless man in Champaign, Illinois. By all accounts, this man had many talents and could have found a place for himself without living on the street; however, he chose to stay on the street to minister to other homeless people and to point them to God. There are many kinds of ministry and this man chose a very demanding one, a ministry that led directly to his untimely death.

There are many reasons that someone might wind up on the street. Companies merge and jobs disappear, mortgages fall due and there is no money to keep up, vehicles break down and their owners have no means to repair them. In the last few months, many businesses that were flourishing a year ago have been forced to close, leaving their owners in dire financial straits.

There is a saying that the ground is level at the foot of the cross of Calvary. None of us, whether rich or poor, is good enough to earn our way into heaven. Our financial status means nothing to God; only the condition of our hearts matters. As this fictional congregation learned that Sunday morning, appearances can be deceiving. The homeless man who was the object of scorn turned out to be their new spiritual leader in disguise.

Today, we must search our hearts. Are we allowing ourselves to be impressed with someone’s educational qualifications or their profession or their money, rather than simply treating them as a child of God? Are we giving special preference to those we know can donate big money to our churches? God forbid! The test of our love as Christians is not to love those who are easy to love but to love equally, without preference.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to love as you love. Help us not to treat people according to their financial status but to see them as your beloved children who need you more than anything or anybody else. Please, Lord, change our hearts so that our hearts break with the things that break your Heart. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

James 1:26 – 27 “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (Berean Study Bible)

“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 1:26-27, The Message)

I received some horrible information from a pastor friend! A kind homeless man in Champaign, Illinois, who had been helping other homeless people and sharing the Gospel with them was beaten to death by three hoodlums. This man was known to be a gentle soul who would share whatever he had with those who needed it. Nobody had any explanation for this attack, aside from the fact that the man was elderly and could not defend himself.

“But,” you say, “the people who attacked that poor homeless man weren’t religious.” Oh? Jesus told us that we should assess people by their actions. You will act in according with your beliefs. Matthew 7:17 – 20 “Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

Whatever you value most, whatever you meditate upon, whatever you think about, those things are the objects of your worship. In this case, whoever attacked this helpless old man valued violence and murder. Being of a violent nature, these three assailants were looking for someone to beat up and terrorize, and they found a victim. They might even have gotten an adrenaline rush from listening to the man’s moans as he died.

There are many of us who would never consider assaulting someone. But wait! Does that let us off the hook morally? Many people can speak very convincingly and if you merely listen to them, you will think that here is a perfect specimen, a loving and gracious person! But what happens when the talk stops and it’s time for action?

When we finish our grand speeches or our Facebook or Instagram posts or Tweets, what do we do next? Are we reaching out to the homeless and loveless? Are we guarding against the corruption of the world? Are we actually helping those with whom we sympathize, or are we just accusing anyone who fails to echo our sentiments?

 The Bible admonishes us repeatedly to guard our hearts. We are easily swayed and easily corrupted. Today, let us examine ourselves and make sure that our religion is not merely hot air.

PRAYER: Father God, help us! We are easily confused, easily swayed, easily led. We are quick to judge others and very slow to examine ourselves. Lord, help us to truly follow you and to help those to whom you wish to send us. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.