The broadcasts on Family Life this week have been so good!
I was listening to the first one last night and was amazed by how it went along with the scripture God has been using in my heart lately (see previous post with Matt. 6:19-21 and 1 John 3:17).
They were talking about James 1:27~ "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
Two points were made. The first one I agree with and the second one I had never realized.
First, the scripture says "visit." This doesn't mean that everyone is supposed to adopt! But it is saying that we are to engage, touch lives with, see, and be around orphans. I think the Father knew that if we did this then we wouldn't be able to help ourselves from caring for and providing for them.
(A small tangent here.... sending money is good and needed and the least we can do. Going and visiting is life changing for us and for them. How thankful I am that God the Father didn't send money down when I was yet a sinner, orphaned and without hope. He, himself came down to us and laid his life down for us paying the price for our adoption.)
OK, back to the radio broadcast. The second point they made was that there is a connection between visiting orphans and keeping ourselves unstained by the world. Until now I had never seen the connection. I had just read the verse as having two prescriptions for right religion, visit orphans and avoid the trappings of the world. This is where the verses I have been thinking about come in. As we spend time visiting orphans we find ourselves desiring to lay up heavenly treasures that are not destroyed by moth or rust or stolen by thieves. The things of this world that stain are less attractive.
3 comments:
I was thinking about the connection between visting orphans/widows and not becoming "stained" by the world. I think part of not becoming obsessed by the desires of the world is seeing someone else's circumstances and realizing how "wealthy" and blessed we are. This puts a different perspective on what we think we 'need'.
Thank you for the great post!
Rachelle
Amen, Sister! Well put. I may "borrow" your susinct description sometime, but I'll ask first, so as not to plagerize! (sp?) Anyway, YES, to ponder adoption to the point of diving in, DOES cause everything else to grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace, does it not? Thank you, LORD!
~Rhonda
P.S.: Tell your friend, Rachelle, that's my middle name! :) ~Rhonda
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