"I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
~Jesus (John 10:10b)

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Thoughts on James 1:27

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." ~James 1:27~ We love this verse! It has fueled our passion and heart for orphan care and adoption from the beginning of our God-given desires to add to our family through adoption. I have been thinking about this verse lately. I thought I would just share how the Lord is using this verse in my life to transform my heart. James is so practical. I love it. We are in seminary right now, learning so much good theology. We are so thankful for this time in our lives, and yet, I often crave practical Biblical living. We are right now in a season of preparation, and this verse is so refreshing in the midst of our studies. This is the Gospel displayed. God our Father cares about the plight of the most vunerable people in our world- the widow and the orphan. He calls us to care as He cares. He calls us to reach out- to sacrifice money, time, food, love, Saturday outings- in order that the widow and the orphan might have family, food, love, care, and attention. Our journey to adopt two little boys from the DRC is just beginning, and I am already seeing the effect it has on my time, my desires, my budget, and my heart. In our culture, we deal with the tragedy of materialism. Things and riches are not evil, but the love of them is evil. I have seen how caring for widows and orphans in their distress aids in keeping oneself unstained from the world. My craving to get a new pair of shoes (though I have SEVERAL pairs!) is curbed by my finding out that the children in the orphanage we are adopting from only get one meal a day. My desires to accumulate cool stuff, gadgets, and decor for my home is purified by taking a widow home from church and spending time with her. We came into this world with nothing and we will leave this world with nothing. How this has become more real to me in this process of pursuing adoption and, perhaps the one that is more overlooked, caring for widows in their distress. How I love the this verse in James! Just thought I would share what the Lord is doing in my heart lately :-) In Christ by His Grace, Amber