Thursday's SOAP - Matthew 6:19-21, James 1:22-27

¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

 ²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.  ²⁶ If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

S(cripture) - Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

O(bservation) - I find it perpexing/interesting/engaging - the tension between living in the world and not being of it.  Sometimes I can be so heavenly-minded that I am of no earthly good and other times I am so earthly minded that heaven gets crowded out.  The Kingdom life is a big AND.  Heaven AND earth.  "Your will be done on EARTH as it is in HEAVEN.  The incarnation (Jesus - God in the flesh on this planet) points to the value God has for creation (particularly humans).  But our treasure is not found on this planet.  This world can corrupt me (James). Yesterday Jesus reminded us that the worries of this world choke out our fruitfulness.  And here is James saying pure religion is to look after those who cannot take care of themselves AND staying away from the values of this world.  Surveys have shown that people believe the Bible says "God takes care of those who help themselves."  This is a lie.  This is the values of this world corrupting the Kingdom.  This is the excuse that people use to not share.  But Jame's line is Occupy Wall Street before there was a Wall Street.  Many of the people in NYC don't know Jesus, but they know deep in their souls that those who have should take care of those who don't.   The Golden Rule - Do unto others . . .

A(pplication) - Well here I go again, keeping God's Word at a distance, applying it to the 99 AND the 1, when God wants me to apply it to ME.  God is calling me to refrain from greed, hoarding and looking out for "numero uno" and instead look out for those closest to God's heart - the humble and defenseless.  Since we are in a series on living simply,  how can I carve out time and resources to care for those that fall through the cracks?  My worldly side says I barely have time for me, that this will complicate not simplify my life,  But that's the lie - the "stuff" needs to go so I can find "pure and genuine." At this point, I am just starting to get to how - but even more important is an internal motivation  - I want a heart that values what God values.

P(rayer) - Abba, how entangled am I in the values of this world?  How have I bought in to the "American Dream?"  Where am I even blind to how much of a consumer I am - a consumer and not a producer?  Open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth You have for me.  Place in my hands the wonderful key that will unclasp and set me free. Liberation, Jesus.  You came to set me free. Come Spirit.  Amen