"For I hunger and you give Me to eat I thirst and you give Me drink; a stranger was I and you took Me in; naked and you clothed Me; infirm am I and you visit Me; in jail was I and you come to Me,' "Then the just will be answering Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we perceive Thee hungering and nourish Thee, or thirsting and we give Thee drink? Now when did we perceive Thee a stranger and took Thee in, or naked and we clothed Thee? Now when did we perceive Thee infirm, or in jail and we came to Thee? "And, answering, the King shall be declaring to them, 'Verily, I am saying to you, in as much as you did it to one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it to Me.'
Matthew 25: 35-40, Concordant New Testament
It has been a constant part of this cities budget battle over the past few years. What, and how much, do we allot to fighting the cities homeless issue? Recently, the county denied the mayor of Portland's request for more funding for the homeless, choosing instead to allot the funds into rent relief for low income people. The term robbing Peter to pay Paul could not be more appropriate than this in this situation. Both sides need help, both sides need a way out of their situation. Yet, in the blink of an eye, it seems that low income people are deemed more important than no income people. And so the cycle continues as it always does. So I pose the question which I'm sure more than a few others have in the past...what price do we put upon a homeless person? Granted, in this city there are social service programs in order to assist the housing impaired. However, if these programs were truly capable, we would be able to judge their success by the decreased numbers of homeless people on the streets. Sadly, this has not been the case. On the contrary, with each and every dollar given to help the homeless population, more and more get sucked down this financial black hole. To me, it is the definition of big government, with millions of dollars being thrown at an issue that never gets resolved. Can anyone really put a cost to this issue? Did Jesus Himself put a cost to the issue of helping the helpless? No, Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that what we do to those in need...we do to Him as well {Matthew 25:40}. If we give generously to those in need, we give to Jesus. If we turn a blind eye to one who asks for help, we might just be turning our backs on one who is in Christ. Many believers will not understand this comparison because they do not understand that it is Christ Jesus who lives in them {Galatians 2:20}.
For ritual clean and undefiled with God the Father is this: to be visiting the bereaved and widowed in their affliction, to be keeping oneself unspotted from the world.
James 1: 27, Concordant New Testament
The concordant translation of the New Testament is interesting, and I refer to it often. For this writing, my interest was piqued by the translation I found in the book of James. The concordant translation refers to James chapter 1, verse 27 as "Ritual clean and undefiled." What does the New King James record this verse as? "Religion that is pure and undefiled." So, the Lords brother is speaking to us about pure religion and its practices. I'm not talking about rock band praise and worship music or feel good in the moment sermons that end up putting you to sleep. I believe that what James is referring to here is our belief and faith in what we believe in. Do we trust that giving unto others is exactly what Jesus desires for us? Do we embrace what Jesus desires for us? Living the desire of Christ, I believe that THIS is our belief pure and undefiled. Anything less than that could be construed as plain old fashioned religion. As believers, we know and understand that doing good unto others is something the Lord desires for us. God has never put a price tag upon kindness. There is no budget for His love and mercy upon us. The fact that our salvation is the free gift of His grace is testament to this {Ephesians 2:8-9}. We cannot earn our salvation nor can we ever lose it. This is all due to the love and mercy of our heavenly Father. To whom no price is too great when providing for His children.
For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is God's approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.
Ephesians 2: 8-9, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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