Something’s Lost!

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? James 2:14

 

In my freshman year of college I had a roommate who was a little scatter-brained and she used to regularly “pray” to St. Anthony. She would say, “St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around, something’s lost that must be found.”

(This post will not address the futility of praying to “saints.”)

But, like my old roommate, I have noticed something that has been lost and must be found. I pray (to God) that I can find it, keep it, and with His blessing, help you to find it, too. It is a truth in the book of Proverbs.

This past weekend I taught on righteousness. One of the things that I took clearly from the scripture is how we will be personally rewarded, right now, in our day to day lives, for righteous living. We will consider our words before we speak (Proverbs 15:28). We will increase in learning (Proverbs 10:6). Proverbs 29:6 says we will sing and rejoice because we will live in peace and 10:24 says the desires of the righteous will be granted.

Our personal rewards for righteousness are pretty appealing.

I also found Proverbs that described how our righteous lives will benefit our families (Proverbs 12:7; 13:9;15:6). We love these promises of God to us and our families, for our obedience to Him.

So, what’s missing? What needs to be found?

It seems that we are all happy to keep our righteousness at home.

We think that unbelievers can’t understand it. They will think that we are “holier than thou” types and may even mock us or try to make our lives uncomfortable. We fear the response when others can see righteous behavior.

But, look at what I found. When we live righteously, it benefits those other people, people outside the church. Check these verses:

• The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. Proverbs 10:21
• One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:26
• When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. Proverbs 29:2.
• The righteous gives and does not hold back. Proverbs 21:26

What I fear has been lost is this truth that our righteousness is good for our neighbors.

It is good for the man next door that we love by helping. It is good for the waitress and the store clerk that we show respect to and don’t try to cheat or steal from. It is good for the kids down the street who learn that we will listen to them and love them. It is good for the woman who hears the truth about killing her baby as she heads for the abortion clinic, It is good for unrighteous family members who need to see the love of Christ so they know where to turn when they need answers. It is good for the innocent victim when we are willing to call out evil for what it is in a politically correct world.

It is even a gift to the evil one who might see his/her wrongdoing as it compares to the righteousness of the believer in Jesus Christ.

What I found in these Proverbs is that our faithful Christianity, according to the scriptures, is a gift to everyone we come in contact with….but only if they see it.