Psalm 41:1-3
You, Lord God, bless everyone
who cares for the poor,
and you rescue those people
in times of trouble.
You protect them
and keep them alive.
You make them happy here
in this land,
and you don’t hand them over
to their enemies.
You always heal them
and restore their strength
when they are sick.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
An acquaintance recently posted a link to a video that I was gullible enough to watch. The speaker was talking about how (IN HIS OPINION, NOT MINE!) we Christians are being overtaken by evil forces at every turn, and this is resulting in terrible things happening in our world. The "kicker" to his ridiculous rant came in the closing sentence, when he said something about how "they" (the "evil ones") will even "take our money and our cars!" And this man was supposedly some sort of pastor!
C'mon now! You know this isn't right! Yet I see it played out all the time as I shop at our local Wal-Mart and thrift store and interact with others around town. Since we live in a fairly small community, I know a lot of people...many who would "swear on a stack of Bibles" that they are faith-filled Christians. Some of these same people practice what I call "Country Club Religion"...and a whole lotta folks are not members of the "Club". And boy, do they know it! They know by the way they are smiled at with pity or disdain...or the way they are not included in table discussions at school or a local church circle. They know where they "fit" (or don't), because a lot of us "Christians" are quite open about how we feel toward those who are not like us in some way...race or skin color, ethnicity, lifestyle, socio-economic level, education level - even which church someone attends - and so much more.
It starts early. I am seeing the "cliques" develop even among Timothy, Zola and Nathan's age groups and how certain children are treated one way or another. If you read the rest of Psalm 41, you will see that David addresses this. He talks to God about people who come to see him when he is sick and pretend to care...then go out and gossip about him in the community. He notes that even his best friend did this...he told others that David had some sort of deadly disease - and that they should stay away from him.
Isn't that what we often do? We tell others, "Well, he/she is _______." You can fill in the blank. We do it with everyone from the person who sits next to us in class or at church all the way to our President and world leaders. We protect our "stuff" and our "position" at all costs - even at the expense of another of God's children. And we expect God to pat us on the head and tell us that this is all okay.
Well, it's not alright! And as David tells God in verse 12..."You have helped me because I am innocent, and You will always be close to my side." A lot of people are "sick and suffering" because of mistreatment by "Christians". Many have decided that God must not love them...because in so many ways, they have been told this repeatedly by people who claim to know Jesus and to follow Him, while they deride and judge others - and sometimes not all that subtly.
Here's a news flash...God loves the "poor" - those who are physically in need, and those who are poor in spirit. He cares about those who are sick in the body, sick at heart, and just plain sick and tired. He cares about them just as much as the next person, and His deepest desire is to heal them and to bring joy, peace and salvation into their lives. I serve a God of abundant, profound, all-encompassing love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. He could care less what I wear, what kind of car I drive, or whether I just got the latest version of the newest smart phone! Moreover, He knows what race I am...the color of my skin...my sexual orientation...and my very DNA - because HE MADE ME! And you know what? HE LOVES ME JUST LIKE THIS!
If I sound upset or angry, I’m not – I'm just disheartened. I am so tired of hearing about "Christian values" and what is wrong with our world, when what is really wrong is that we have failed to hear God's voice and meet the needs of ALL of His people...RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE! I'm sorry if this upsets you, but the "Christian Country Club" needs to GO! We need to pull out our Bibles, spend some serious time in study and prayer, and figure out what God is calling us to do...then get busy doing it!
You have a choice...you can be one of those "friends" who visits the sick - or smiles at your neighbor - and talks about them later. Or you can fall to your knees and ask God to show you how, when and where to serve Him...unconditionally. You can ask God to show you where and how to minister in His name to the "sick" and the poor...and to guard your heart and mind from judging another living soul in the process. You can serve as a catalyst for healing, joy, restoration and salvation. Or you can sit home and worry about your car and your "stuff". The choice is totally yours. What do you think God would want you to do?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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