James 1:26-27 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 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.
How different would America, and perhaps the world, look if Christians were to implement these seemingly three simple acts.
Tight rein on the tongue. How many moms have told their children, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Church foyers would be much quieter on Sunday mornings.
"Better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Think about how many conversations would never take place if that platitude were put in place.
One of my favorites- "A wise man keeps quiet because he has nothing to say. A fool speaks because he has to say something."
Caring for the orphans and widows. Well, we had better form a committee to define "orphans and widows". Let's form a committee to study the incident rates of orphans and widows. Better yet- a TASK FORCE! Or how about "each one, helps one". Do you have a neighbor who might fall into the category? Invite him/her over for dinner. Someone at work in a bind? Offer to buy those new tires she needs. Committees, task forces and reports are necessary to tackle the big picture, but no excuse for individual Christians not allowing the Holy Spirit to direct them to one-on-one helping relationships.
Finally, keep oneself "from being polluted by the world." Gotta' be careful here from becoming legalistic. A list of "don'ts" could arise from such a verse; however, the Holy Spirit will guide individuals. R-rated movies taboo? Let the Holy Spirit be your Siskel and Ebert. What secular music crosses the line? Pray about it. Is that glass of wine damaging your witness? Ask God.
A pollution-free Christian life may look different for each person. Or would it? Is there an ideal Christian life that is God's goal for all Christians? If each individual Believer were to turn over ALL areas, how much "alikeness" would there be?
There will always be differences in what we are called to do and how we are called to serve. Paul reminds us on many occasions each person is called to serve the Lord using his/her unique gifts and talents, but would our attitudes, thoughts and actions start to align?
Imagine how much change American Christians could affect if our buying habits, our movie-going trends and our Internet viewing all aligned with Biblical principles? Such righteous indignation about politicians' immorality, society's moral erosion and the "liberal" media's bias. Yet, how different are most Christians? How many "Christians" are on the lake on Sunday mornings? Why is the divorce rate the same among Christians as nonChristians? Does the average Christian's life look much different from the average person in America? If not, why not?
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