“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.”

                           -James 1:27

This afternoon as I sat in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store, preparing to leave and go to the next place on our list,  an elderly woman very slowly pushed her shopping cart next to her vehicle and began loading her groceries. I watched with pity as she made one or two trips between her cart and trunk, taking several seconds just to walk those few feet. As I sat comfortably in the AC of our car watching her struggle and strain just to load a few groceries, I thought to myself, “What am I doing just sitting here?” It was at that moment I felt the Lord unmistakably leading me to go and help this woman do something that wouldn’t take me more than a few seconds, as opposed to taking her several minutes. So I did.

It was through this experience that the Lord has began dealing with me about the message of James 1:27 (above). You see, in Bible times it was not at all uncommon to see fatherless children and widowed women quite often. Basically, these type of people were every where! To the best of my knowledge, there were no orphanages or Social Security benefits  in those days. In other words, these people were without help and often without hope.  So you see, James was telling us, in essence, that if we want to do something great for God, we need look no further than our own neighborhood. He was telling us, “Hey! You want to make a difference for God? Look around you! There are people right next door who need your help, so what are you waiting for?”

The song below that I’m about to share with you carries a powerful message. How many times have we simply passed up an opportunity to bless others because we were too consumed looking to be used for “bigger” things. The truth is, there is no “big things and little things” with God. Whether its evangelizing a country, or giving a cup of cold water to those who do so (Matthew 10:42), we will not be without reward in heaven for any good deed done in the name of Jesus Christ. Don’t miss a single chance to be a light for Jesus – whether it means getting on a plane, or taking a walk over to the neighbors.

“This is a call for a change in my heart, I realize that I’ve not been doing my part. When I needed a savior, I found it in Him; He gave to me so I’ll give back to them.”