Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27
Most of us know about tithing from our first fruits (the income from the works of our hands=10%). Many of us tithe back to Lord with donations, thru prayerful discernment we recognize an area that we are drawn to in order to help others. We even tithe with our "free" time by volunteering to help in so many ways. Since I learned that tithing is God's way of blessing us through our willingness to honor our abundance, I have had so many opportunities to give to others. Through that giving, I have been blessed beyond measure in my soul, within my heart, and with in my consciousness. It truly brings a spring to your step and joy that overflows in so many ways.
The area that is one of the hardest to accept and keep is in keeping oneself from being polluted by the world. Standing in faith is a merciful boldness. Being freed from our past is His gracious mercy for all our sins (not one is worse than the other). Yet, once we have made the decision to walk in His will... well that means we turn our back on all things that would not bring a smile to His face or honor to His name. What is of the world? With such wisdom He has given us the book of Proverbs. We are guided by the Holy Spirit to live righteous lives, to think only on that which He wants us to know, to guard our thoughts and our tongues in order to receive the fullness of His will for us.
With today's devotional time, I was so grateful for His reminder that once I take my focus off of my self and my desires... He will unveil the needs of the helpless. With a generous heart and loving willingness, I can be available for those in need. If the world's messages consume my "free" time, I will never be anything more than a loud gong to His ears.
Holidays are around the corner, what would Jesus us want us to be doing? The nations of the world are in desire straights making decisions about power and not lives. The press is all about political gain and "talking" out their wisdom. Our entertainment is dark, moody, and filled with slanderous discussions and lust-filled desires. Have we really become a generation that is easy to program?
Keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world... what does this mean to you?
No comments:
Post a Comment