Lesson 590

(Lesson 590)(03-29-13) James 1:17-27, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 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."

This lesson, to me, defines the condition of the majority within today's "church" with perfection. So many make the ritual journey to the "church" house, once or twice a week, and smugly feel they have "served" the Lord. One does not serve without actually doing something.

According to this lesson, doing nothing more than occupying a pew two or three times a week can be compared to looking at oneself in the mirror, it avails nothing.

We, as Christian people are charged to be active in our Church communities, "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."

Sadly modern "Christianity" has become much like the Laodiceans, Revelations 3:15-16, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

All of us whom have been saved by the grace of God should approach our duty toward Jesus Christ with a high degree of excitement and devotion, stepping away from the "norm", actually contributing to the well being of our communities, and surrendering ourselves to an active service in spreading the soul saving word of our living God.~