James 1:26-27
If you think you are being religious, but can’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and everything you do is useless. Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In our community, an old Post Office building has housed our Municipal Court for the last few years. This building is located directly on Main Street, where traffic passes back and forth all day long in a fairly steady stream. In recent years, the Municipal Judges have started sentencing those who are convicted of theft to parade up and down the sidewalk in front of the court building and wear a sign that says, “I’m a thief.” The judge probably gives these folks a choice between this and going to jail. But more than a few have chosen this public shame as punishment for the crime.
Understand that I am not condoning theft… not in the least. But on more than one occasion, I have driven past one of these people and had a strong urge to stop the car, walk over and put my arm around them and ask, “Do you know how much God loves you?” I know… crazy… right? And no, I have never done this… but maybe I should!
See, it’s not about how these people got where they are. Sure, they committed a crime, were convicted, and are rightly sentenced to “do the time.” But they are still God’s children. And maybe more than most of us, they need to know that somebody cares… and that God still loves them!
As I said, I have not stopped… yet! But I have started praying for this person when I pass the court building. On any given day, this could be someone we know standing there. How would you feel if that were your brother, sister, friend, mother, father, cousin, child? Wouldn’t it break your heart to think others were passing and judging… clucking their tongues and saying, “That shameful person” – or worse! Don’t you think it breaks God’s heart, too?
If we are not very careful, we give Satan an opening. We let the evil thinking of this world creep into our minds and hearts, and we begin to judge others. Our tongue gets out of control, and we become critical of those less fortunate…we start to think more highly of ourselves than others - or just more highly of ourselves than we should in general. And we stop being Godly servants. We cancel out any good we might have done, and it becomes virtually a wash.
Stop for a minute today, and examine your heart. Think about your attitudes… and what you say to others – and about others. Consider how you judge the people you see… and how you truly treat God’s children – all of them. Are you picking and choosing? Do you love unconditionally with grace and mercy? Are you willing to pray for the thief on the street who is wearing a sandwich board… to ask God to work in his/her life? Are your efforts to serve God counting for something…or is everything you do useless? Are you truly a Disciple of Christ… or are you merely “religious?”
©2012 Debbie Robus
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