Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

June 16
Monday


THE WORLD'S
CHILDREN

READ:
James 1:22-2:1
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Pure and undefiled
religion before God
and the Father is
this: to visit orphans
and widows in their
trouble. __James 1:27
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After a group of high schoolers visited an orphanage during a ministry trip, one student was visibly upset. When asked why, he said it reminded him of his own situation 10 years earlier.

This young man had been living in an orphanage in another country. He said he recalled people coming to visit him and his friends__just as these students were doing__and then going away. Occasionally someone would come back and adopt a child. But each time he was left behind he would wonder, What's wrong with me?

When the teenagers would visit an orphanage__and then leave__those old feelings came back to him. So the others in the group prayed for him__and thanked God that one day a woman (his new mother) showed up and chose him as her very own son. It was a celebration of an act of love that gave one boy hope.

Across the world are children who need to know of God's love for them (Matt. 18:4-4; Mark 10:13-16; James 1:27). Clearly, we can't all adopt or visit these children__and indeed we are not expected to. But we can all do something: Support. Encourage. Teach. Pray. When we love the world's children, we honor our Father who adopted us into His family (Gal. 4:4-7). __Dave Branon

```````````````````````Father, You made each child in Your``````````````````````````
```````````````````````image. Help us to convey Your love``````````````````````````
````````````````````````to them with our hands, our help,``````````````````````````
``````````````````````````````````and our hearts.````````````````````````````````
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The more Christ's love grows in us,
the more His love flows from us.

***************************************Today's Bible Reading __ James 1:22-2:1*************************************

22 But be doers of the
word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves. 23 For
if anyone is a hearer of the
word and not a doer, he is
like a man observing his
natural face in a mirror;

24 for he observes himself,
goes away, and immediately
forgets what kind of man he
was. 25 But he who looks
into the perfect law of
liberty and continues in it,
and is not a forgetful hearer
but a doer of the work, this
one will be blessed in what
he does.

26 if anyone among you
thinks he is religious, and
does not bridle his tongue
but deceives his own heart,
this one's religion is
useless. 27 Pure and
undefiled religion before
God and the Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows
in their trouble, and to keep
oneself unspotted from the
world.

1 My brethren, do not hold
the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ the Lord of glory,
with partiality.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

James emphasizes not only learning the Word of God but putting it
into action. The Word is like a mirror that shows us where we are
making spiritual progress and where we need improvement: "But
he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and
is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be
blessed in what he does" (v.25). The Scriptures clearly give us set
boundaries, but it is obedience that brings us a sense of liberty and
blessing.