Thoughts for another day

July 11, 2012.

Today's verse: Jas. 1:27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

The lesson on what's pure and totally right before the Lord God Almighty is what we get through St James in our Scripture today and it essentially dwells on two very important acts of the human being before God and before man.

One is to, as the King James Version says, visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.   It seems something most of us do, for we help people (God have mercy on you if you don't) at some time or other.  But that isn't what the depth of the text is about, which is to put yourself in their shoes and experience their situation first hand and then do what you would expect others to do to you, if you were in their situation.  My friend, to be in the shoes of these helpless and downtrodden people is a terrible thing.  All kinds of atrocities are committed against them for they have no one to defend them and no voice to protest either.  Everybody takes advantage of and steals their rights from them and at times they only have their own tears that flow incessantly, eventually comforting them when they have all rolled down and dried up.  Look around you and see if you can, the plight of these people and try in some way to lift them up, for God, yes, The Master of the Sea will look on you kindly for remember He never forgets them and will not forget what you did for them.

Two and I consider this very very important, that is to keep oneself unstained from the stains of the world.  As Christians, we know clearly that from the time we start believing in Christ, we're at war!  At war, with the principalities and powers in the air, and the prince of darkness; make no mistake, you're at war and close to being defeated, or shall I say annihilated, by the evil storming the span of the earth.  It's a great fight to steer clear from this evil and it's only God's Grace that can help you avoid it.  You'll be assailed from many directions and at times it may seem right to just accept that bribe and get rid of the person; but mind you, that's exactly what the God of heaven wants you to avoid.  Be calm, be unafraid and just wait on the Lord and eventually you'll emerge a winner, scars and wounds in tow, but you'll be victorious and He will give you the crown of victory.