Removing Anonymity

Removing Anonymity

James 2: ¹⁴ My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you? ¹⁵ Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. ¹⁶ What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don't give them the necessities of life? ¹⁷ So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.

 

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After getting an increase in pay, giving became easier. I felt good about writing a check each week. But then the pastor asked something strange. “Who will go with me to serve people in the streets?”

 

• I thought I was “doing” enough by giving “my” cash.
• I thought I was “doing” enough by “going” to church.
• I thought I was “doing” enough by “attending” Bible study, deacon’s meetings and trustee meetings.

 

James challenges the norm of only  attending church and quoting scriptures. His challenge was probably aimed to get people out of their comfort zone and to “do” the things they “talked” about. This would take time, effort and face to face encounters with those in need.

 

My Observations:

• Serving people who are in need takes face to face encounters.
• Serving a group of people, without knowing their names, needs or problems, makes me think I am helping them vicariously through someone else’s efforts.
• GOD loves when I serve people face to face.

 

Overlooking the poor can be quite easy. I mean, when I give to a church and pass by a person holding up a sign, I begin to justify not serving the person holding up the sign, asking for help. I then justify not knowing or heling my neighbors on my block or in my apartment building. I also justify not seeking the lost on my own. BUT GOD wants me to be different.

 

HE knows my mind can become dull by sitting in another sermon or another Bible study or by watching another motivational video. Going out and actually serving people takes the anonymity away and opens my eyes to a world of need I would not have otherwise known. I am glad GOD wants me to get out of my comfort zone to serve those in need.

 

Challenge

• Why does the writer challenge “faith?”
• Have you ever felt nervous about serving the poor?
• Have you served the poor directly outside of your church?
• Will you consider getting out of your comfort zone and serving the poor today so your faith will be made complete?

Levels of Respect

Levels of Respect

James 2: My friends, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance. ² Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes. ³ If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, “Have this best seat here,” but say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,” ⁴ then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives.

 

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Upset that I ran into so many homeless people, I decided to do something about it. Instead of giving money, I offered to buy a meal. I proceeded to “tell” the person the Gospel, thinking I had done my job for the day.

 

• I assumed the person was going to use money for drugs and alcohol.
• I assumed the person needed to hear a message about CHRIST, when in reality this being could have been an angel that I was not aware of.
• I assumed “I” had a solution when I may have been contributing to the problem, namely lack of respect.

 

James attempts to address favoritism based on the appearance of wealth. He may have experienced the lack of favoritism based on his appearance. He knew that looking at the outward appearance of people could cause people to make assumptions that are untrue.

 

My Observations:

• GOD looks at the heart of humans and determines who is truly “good.”
• GOD sees how I treat people and knows if I treat others differently based on outward appearance.
• GOD loves when I treat everyone with respect and honor.

 

Treating one set of people different than the next leads to battles. I mean, when I treat people differently because of his or her appearance, I make wrong assumptions about who they are and even worse, I ignore what GOD sees.

 

GOD loves people I may not like. HE sees the inside and has a strong desire for all to be saved. HE loves the poor and does not like when rich people are treated better than them. HE provides opportunities for me to treat the poor the same as I treat the rich, with HIS utmost respect. I am glad GOD is not prejudice and loves me without wavering.

 

Challenge

• Why does the writer use rich and poor as the example?
• Have you ever treated someone better based than others because of his or her title, appearance or financial status?
• Will you treat everyone with the same utmost respect that GOD wants you to so many can hear HIS message of love today? 

Looked Over

 

Looked Over

Romans 13: ⁸ Be under obligation to no one—the only obligation you have is to love one another. Whoever does this has obeyed the Law. ⁹ The commandments, “Do not commit adultery; do not commit murder; do not steal; do not desire what belongs to someone else”—all these, and any others besides, are summed up in the one command, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” ¹⁰ If you love others, you will never do them wrong; to love, then, is to obey the whole Law.

 

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Getting off the train for the first time on the new job, I ran into a homeless person. I had an extra dollar, so I gave it to him. As I rounded the corner, there was another and another. “I’m sorry, I don’t have anymore” was the lie I told as I had much more in my pocket. The next day it was the same. So the following day I decided to go a different route to avoid seeing the homeless.

 

• Many times I have overlooked the homeless.
• Many times I avoided giving to the homeless because the problem seemed too large for me.
• Many times I said to myself, “I barely have enough for me, let alone this person.”

 

Paul writes about the greatest commandment JESUS spoke about, namely Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Love is required to obey the Law. But “Who is my neighbor?”

 

• GOD wants me to love the people in my household and the houses surrounding me.
• GOD wants me to love the people who are not in my neighborhood, but are out on the street.
• GOD wants me to love the overlooked such as the poor, widowed and physically sick.

 

When GOD said “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few” HE knew many people would be so focused on their own struggles that we could not open our eyes to another person’s struggles. GOD wants me to take a moment to “see” others and be involved by loving them. Even if it is a cup of water given in love, I have obeyed GOD.

 

• What will you do to show your love to a stranger or a homeless person today?
• Will you go out and give to a person in need and do it in secret?
• Can you add love to your heart so you will see more people who GOD wants you to serve today?

Acting Removed

Luke5: ²⁷ After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” ²⁸ So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

²⁹ Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. ³⁰ And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

³¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

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Jumping in my luxury car, I sped off to my office. Mulling through the projects of the day, I finally organized what I was going to accomplish. I attended numerous meetings, filled out reports and then went home to do this again and again. I never once noticed the people I passed on the street.

• There were times when work was the focus.
• There were times when most of my thoughts were on the job.
• There were times when I placed a large amount of esteem in my career.

The scribes and Pharisees had the “job” of telling people about GOD and they did it with a judgmental attitude. “Why do YOU eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” was their question to JESUS. They thought they were so far removed from their sins that they no longer considered themselves sinners.

• JESUS wants me to seek the lost.
• JESUS wants me to fill up some of my time for HIM.
• JESUS wants me to think of HIS kingdom each and every day.

Being far removed from poor, hurt and overtly sinful people doesn’t make me a better follower of GOD. In fact, the more removed I am from the more highly I think of myself. After a while I speak in “those people” terms instead of saying “us people.”

Being busy is also an exclusionary tactic. If I do not purposefully stop and look for the poor, lost and the hurt I can easily forget that I am one of them. JESUS wants me to be part of the crowd that seeks HIM in need of a Savior. I am sick and need GOD daily.

• Do you think you are better than someone?
• When is the last time you personally went out and sought after the sick, poor and lost?
• Can you plan on spending some of your time speaking on behalf of GOD in an inclusive way?