Good Advice about God

September 9, 2012 Proverbs 22:1-2,8-9,22-23 James 2:1-17 Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost “Some Good Advice About God” Year B Telling of short story by Natalie Babbitt – Boating from the book the Devil’s other storybook…… (This is a story about three sisters who are sent to hell. But they are convinced that they are too good to be with all of the common people. So they ride in a boat circling the rivers of hell for eternity, because they refuse to get out and stand with everyone else.) The major lesson of both our scriptures for today is that Jesus has no partiality, and neither should we. Jesus doesn’t care what you have on, what you do, how much money you have in the bank, and neither should we. the way we treat the poor , determines where we will spend eternity. Proverbs 22: 1-2 says a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and God’s favor is better than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have this in common, the Lord is make of them all. Proverbs is a set of all the wisest sayings in the land. All of the things that mama used to tell us about life. Solomon was the king of wisdom, so these sayings are associated with him. But this is a mother’s advice to her son, who is being groomed for a royal life. She knows that growing up, that he will face many choices, and she wants him to make the right choice. The godly choice. We are not all men, but we are all being trained for a life of royalty. This life on earth is preparation for eternal life with God. But we have to remember, that where we spend eternity is determined by how we treat people. Especially how we treat God’s people. All people are God’s people those we like, and those we don’t. Those we understand and those who we don’t. God has helped us, and God expects us to help others. James word for us today is to always remember, that God does not show partiality, so neither should we. James 2:16 ask what good is it if you see someone in need and you smile at them and send them on their way without helping. Faith without works is dead – dead as those three sisters dressed to the nines, yet aimlessly circling hell. The message of James is that faith without works is dead. The message of chapter two – show no impartiality and always make sure that your faith is alive. What is it that really matters in your life and in your faith? What you say or what you do? What makes a difference in the lives of others? What you say you will do, or what you actually do? James says that those who go to church and listen to God and say that they believe, are God’s people – but their faith is dead. Those who do the work of God – have a living faith. Remember, what goes in the eyes and ears, comes out of the mouth, and the hands and the feet. Which Flowers Are Real? The queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon, and one day she put him to the test. She brought artificial flowers so perfectly formed that no human eye could detect them from real flowers. She put them in a vase on Solomon’s table, in his throne room next to his flowers. As he came in, the queen of Sheba is reported to have said, "Solomon, you are the wisest man in the world. Tell me without touching these flowers, which are real and which are artificial." It is said that Solomon studied the flowers for a long time and spoke nothing, until finally he said, "Open the windows and let the bees come in." There are ways to tell the artificial from the real—let the bees come in; they will know where the real is. If we live with the authentic Jesus long enough, we will recognize the artificial when we see it. Brooks Ramsey, When Religion Becomes Real Is our faith living or dead? sometimes when we are not paying attention to the wisdom of God, we are going through the motions, and don’t know that we are in hell. Spending our faith, circling around eternity. But God always knows…..