Good Morning.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other night who commented, "I never would have known there was so 'much' in the book of James." Much? Out of this first chapter, we have been able to get a historical glimpse of the first century Jews who accepted the Gospel in Jerusalem, and then went back to their homes, where they faced persecution, but remained steadfast in the truth that they had met. James told them/us to 'take heart' in trials because through them our character will grow, and we can choose joy if we want, even in the midst of difficulties! Then along came Wisdom. . . I love that lady! We unpacked her complexities: understanding, discretion, prudence, discernment, knowledge, and action. Amazingly enough, God will generously give us wisdom if we ask Him for it, and believe unwaveringly in Him as its source. We saw the fleeting nature of earthly gain juxtaposed with the contentment that can be had in seeking righteousness first. Temptation. . . common to all of us, does not come from God, but rather our own desires; we can resist it and overcome it through the power of the Holy Spirit. And then, we considered 'the line' - do we dance up to the line (of sin) and feel fine about it as long as don't cross it? Or, do we instead endeavor not to flirt with 'the line' at all? Hmmm. . .

And then we could easily see here in James chapter one, what issued forth from the hand of God: joy, growth in character, wisdom, good gifts, heavenly lights, new birth (yes!), firstfruits, (July 28th Briefing), as opposed to what does NOT come from the hand of God: troubles, trials, a wavering mind, temptation, and a God who changes His mind. Next up was the man in the mirror--while we don't forget our own image in the mirror, we may read God's Word and then walk away unchanged; that ought not be so. Anger? Not me, I don't have a temper; oops, maybe my bitterness, holding grudges, forgiving but not forgetting, is really anger. My friends, anger must be dealt with. Then there is that small (?!) matter of bridling my tongue, because the toothpaste does not go back into the tube. Words either build up or tear down. That is a lot of packed into one chapter!

Now we come to the last verse of James chapter one--

(27) 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. (NIV)

(27) Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corr upt you. (NLT)

Pure religion? What would make our religion "pure"? Our religion should be an outcropping of the contents of our heart, and exemplified by our lives, through love of others and holiness before God. Then, James also provides us with one example--that we are moved with the things that move the heart of God--i.e., orphans and widows.

This is particularly timely, in lieu of one of our own, Jeff, just getting back home to San Clemente, California, after he and Liz adopted 'Tess', 7, from Ethiopia. I am totally enchanted with this lovely little girl with a huge smile who now graces my neighborhood. Just this minute I came from their home, having viewed the pictures of abject poverty on the streets of Addis, the capital of Ethiopia. I couldn't help but wonder if the streets of the capital are this poor, what do the other towns look like? This is the challenge of the affluence of (most of our) lives--for our compassion to move us to action in defense of widows and the orphaned, or abandoned.

I think of what my Lord said in Matthew 25, 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 invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. . . When did we...? The King will reply 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' When have I turned my compassion into action to care for orphans or widows in the name of my Lord?

This requires intentional action for most of us. . . we do not walk past the 'orphaned' on a daily basis, do we? Here's a verse that might just blow your mind a little: Ezekiel 16.49-

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom {of Sodom and Gomorrah fame}. She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. What? Were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed because they ignored the poor? 'How could I never have seen this verse before?' you ask. . . Apparently, attending to orphans and widows is pretty serious in the eyes of God! I sure haven't taken it seriously enough, I'll tell you that.

Note to self: Now I am aware of it. . . what will I do about it?

Finally, James admonishes us to 'refuse to let the world corrupt us'. Quite simply, we all have a choice: be influenced by the culture that surrounds us, or make a stand to impact the culture ourselves.

How good is your religion?

Christine