Be a Doer of the Word

A few weeks ago I was sitting in church.

I was trying to focus. I wanted to keep the sabbath day (Sunday) holy by feeling close to God in church.

I was busy listening to the music and trying to think about Jesus Christ.

 The first speaker got up and started to address the congregation. While trying to internalize the speaker's message, I heard little footsteps running behind me. Then I turned and saw the chapel door open and close.

All dressed up for church, a little boy from the row behind me had escaped from his mother's grip and dashed out of the chapel!

His mother was helpless as she tried to handle her newborn baby and not disturb the church meeting. She wasn't able to get up and run after her disorderly son.

The thought crossed my mind to get up and go fetch her son so that she wouldn't have to worry about it. However, I changed my mind. "No. I should stay in church and listen to the speakers! Isn't that what church is for?"

I struggled with myself, trying to make a decision. Should I help or should I stay? What would God expect of me? I decided to get up and go help her, but I was too late. I heard the strong confident steps of another young mother go out to retrieve the boy.

As I was sheepishly reconciling my thoughts after this, I realized that Jesus Christ would have left his pew in  a heartbeat to go help the young mother.  Back in his day, there was a similar situation. He saw a man who needed to be healed. Even though it was the sabbath, he healed the man. Others thought that Jesus was acting inappropriately for the Sabbath. He answered them saying,

"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?" (Mark 3:4)

Christ was right. I submit that we all work more on 'doing good' and less on feeling holy. Other-centered is always better than self-centered. If it worked for Christ it will work for us!

That is what church is for.

"...Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only... 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"

(James1:22, 27).

Champion good! Do good!



Not of The World

Dreaming, time stops, deja vu kind of moments happen to us all. Here is an example of one of my own.

It was a bright afternoon on a busy street in downtown Winchester, Virginia. I had just finished choir practice and was walking down the street towards my car. Normally there was traffic at this time of day, but there was a momentary lull. The street was silent and abandoned. As I walked, I heard beautiful, distant singing. It was a superb, high, woman's voice. As I tried to understand the words and find where the voice was coming from, I saw a white convertible turn the corner at the end of the street. I heard the voice more clearly and I realized that it was coming from the car. The man driving was listening to Italian opera! It was so beautiful! The car's appearance seemed to fit the angelic sound of the woman's voice. It was sparkling in the sun. The combination made the concrete parking garages and threadbare townhouses of downtown Winchester become ethereal. I reveled in the beauty of the moment. As the pristine white car approached and quickly passed me, I hungrily drank in the music, the car, the thrill! In an instant, the car passed by and the music faded. Traffic resumed and the dream was over.

I have never forgotten this.

Christ described himself as being "...not of this world." He said, "...Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world" (John 8:23).

Maybe being in His presence is like drinking the gorgeous music coming from the white convertible? Perhaps we only have small moments of exposure to His actual nature to motivate us to seek for more? Perhaps when we are following Christ we have a similar effect on other people? We seem out of place and unrealistic but in a priceless way.

I think so.

Champion Good!