Joab's Fire Ch 13 Q2 Self-Righteousness.

Have you ever been caught in your own self-righteousness?

When I started work at a ranch camp I hadn't met all the board and didn't know what they did for a living. One evening we were "chewing the fat" around the table and for some reason, which I cannot remember, I blurted out, "Why do all plumbers wear their pants so low that you can see their cracks when they bend down?"

Some roared with laughter while others gasped in great shock and alarm. A kind person leaned over to me and pointed across the table. "I'd like to introduce you to someone who is one of our board members. He is a plumber."

I was mortified. Caught in my own self-righteous judgment that all plumbers were uncouth. I'm thanking the Lord that this man was very gracious and forgave me for my rude outburst.

There have been many times in my life when I thought or spoke in such a manner that demonstrated I considered myself a much better person than another or too good to be with another. I am ashamed that I have behaved that way, and if I have ever done this to you, I hope you will be kind enough to forgive me.

In John 9, we read about a man whom the disciples assumed was blind because of someone's sin.

Read verse 3:

Jesus answered, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (v.3)

What did Jesus say was the reason for the man's blindness? So that God's works should be made manifest in him.

Jesus heals him. He heals the blind man on a Sabbath day.

Read verse 16:

"Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day."

What were the Pharisees' conclusion about Jesus because He did something they considered, by their traditions, a sin? That Jesus could not be of God.

But we know that Jesus was the Son of God.

Have you ever seen someone do something that is not consistent with your tradition and therefore deemed that person a sinner?

Where I grew up, a coyote is called a "Ky-ute." As a youth, I took such great offense to anyone saying, "coyote," that I immediately considered such a person to be a "greenhorn" or a "city-slicker"---the worst kind of ignorant human you could be, at least that is what I thought.

Now look at me. I'm one of those "city-slickers," and I married the worst kind of "greenhorn": someone from Ontario, Canada who dares to call a Ky-ute, a coyote. God truly does have a sense of humor.

Proverbs 16:2 says:

"All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits."

Sometimes we talk the talk, but we don't walk the walk.

Let's face it. It's not easy to walk the walk. It means getting our feet and hands dirty and willingly associating with people we might consider sinners who deserve their lot in life.

We think of ourselves as basically good people. Have all our ducks in a row. Go to church three times a week. Tithe regularly. Do what we think is expected of us.

Then we meet up with a "sinner."

This "sinner," we'll call her Loulu, was led to the Lord by a street ministry from a community church in San Francisco. For whatever reason, Loulu finds her way to American Canyon, pushing her shopping cart, full of all her belongings, including the trappings of rape, drug use, prostitution, alcohol, and other things that have been a part of her life.

Loulu passes by our church with its nice steeple and the friendly sign that says, "Where Burdens Are Lifted." She stops. She doesn't know much about churches except that the lady who told her Jesus had died for her sins, was buried and rose again would want her to go. LouLu decides she will go to this church.

So she heads down to the recycling center to submit the bottles and cans she'd collected and gets just enough money to go to the thrift store to purchase a dress. She'd seen people at fancy churches in San Francisco, and they were always dressed up, so she knew she would need to wear a dress to church.

After another day hunting through trash cans, she collects enough bottles to buy a Bible at Walmart. Not sure which one she should purchase, she takes the cheapest, which happens to be a NIV Bible.

One more night sleeping behind the trash bins near Walmart, and it is Sunday morning. She's both excited and nervous. She sneaks into the restroom at Walmart, changes into her new dress, a bright red one that looks like a prom dress castaway, and washes her face, neck, legs, and hands. She attempts to brush her hair, but decides in the end to put on the hat she'd found in the bins at the apartment complex nearby.

With one last look in the mirror, she heads out the door and pushes her shopping cart, with all the burdens life has given her, to 117 Theresa Avenue. She stops and sees all the nice cars go into the parking lot. Then she sees all the pretty people getting out of the vehicles, laughing and chattering with one another as they move to different doors.

She looks at the possessions in her cart. There's the blanket her boyfriend gave her the first night he raped her. There's the fancy bottle from the friend who shared his vodka with her. There's the package of needles the social worker gave her so she could safely shoot herself up. Shame speeds across her face, and she begins to shake. Perhaps she shouldn't go. Perhaps she really isn't worthy of this Christ the nice person told her about.

Drawing in a deep breath, she says, "No. I'm going to do this." So she parks her car in the Napa Junction School parking lot, adjusts her ill-fitting dress, lifts her chin, then marches down the street toward Calvary Baptist Church.

Two women see her come. One winces, then turns to visit with a friend. The other smiles broadly and walks toward her, welcoming her.

The first woman enters her classroom and takes her normal seat. The second woman takes Loulu and tells her to sit down right beside the first woman, then sits down beside Loulu.

The first woman wrinkles her nose, because Loulu smells like she hasn't taken a bath in months, which of course, she hasn't.

The second woman chatters away with Loulu, talking about the weather, asking where Loulu is from.

The class begins and the teacher asks everyone to turn to John 3:16.

Loulu's eyes grow wide. She starts flipping pages in her Bible and looking about, wondering what John 3:16 meant.

The first "good" Christian woman cringes. The second opens her Bible to John 3:16 and shares it with Loulu.

When Sunday School is over, everyone gets up, starts shaking hands and walking away. The first woman, pushes passed Loulu, flagging down a friend. The second woman turns to Loulu, "Would you like to come with me to our worship service? We meet in the other building."

When the service is over, the second woman invites Loulu out for lunch, and listens to Loulu's story, helps Loulu find a place to stay for the night, and begins the long work of helping Loulu grow in the Lord.

Which woman are you? I have to admit that I've been a little of both at some time or another. I'm ashamed to admit there are days I've come to church not wanting to be friendly.

There has been other times when I've attempted to be friendly, but haven't gone far enough. Sometimes opportunity hasn't allowed for this. Other times it is simply because I haven't wanted to take on the responsibility of befriending a needy person. Shame on me.

I've even used the excuse that I'm not qualified to disciple that person - their problems are too big for me; I don't know how to relate to their problems. Shame on me.

You don't need to experience another person's life in order to understand basic human emotions: fear, joy, love, sadness, surprise, anger.

You don't have to be a trained counsellor to listen or to pray or to teach someone from the Bible. You simply need to have that relationship with God first.

The road to 'right living' for Loulu, our homeless lady, will not be easy. She'll suffer and struggle. We would need to be patient and help her along the way. We might have to visit her in rehab or jail. More than anything, we'd have to let the Holy Spirit guide us as we reach out to her.

What about those people who are in our church that we are acquainted with? Are we doing anything to be their friend, their Good Samaritan?

Mrs. Kirkland, in Joab's Fire, knows Sarah Black is a good woman. Mrs. Kirkland even defended Joab, but she does nothing, initially, to help them.

Later on, we will learn that she is embarrassed when she meets Sarah in Mrs. Clumpit's parlor.

Mrs. Kirkland knows what Christian Acts are, but she's unwilling to put them into practice. Perhaps she is too wrapped up in her own little world...her own struggles with her husband. Let me give you a tip, we don't have to be perfect to pray or lend a hand to someone in need.

Perhaps Mrs. Kirkland is afraid of getting involved in something she can't handle. It is true that we are not all capable of dealing with all things. Not everyone of us can be all things to all people...that would make us God, which we most certainly are not.

But we might start asking God, what would He have us do? When we see someone, we might ask Him to show us how we might help them. If He shows us, gives us opportunity to do good, then we'd better do it.

This summer, I failed at being a friend. I allowed the busyness of life to keep me from reaching out when I should have. I've prayed and asked for God's forgiveness, and He has. Then He went about cleaning house. :)

I am a naturally shy person. My husband and I both admit to approaching life with the notion that people automatically hate us. And that is wrong thinking. Maybe they do automatically hate us, but that shouldn't keep us from loving them.

Loving doesn't mean all gushy feelings - though those aren't wrong to have. Loving is action. Loving another means sacrifice.

Now as a wife and mother, my first priority is to my husband and children. To my husband, I must be a helpmeet. Which right now, when he has been in so much pain and in so much stress, means doing all I can to help him cope. To my children, I must nurture, train, and guide, which is what you do when you disciple another person. This means that I not only care for their physical needs, but I care for their emotional and spiritual needs as well. Part of caring for their spiritual needs is showing how to be like the Proverbs 31 woman:

"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." (v.21)

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." (v.26)

Abbadon trapped Mrs. Kirkland in her self-righteous attitude. He taunted her. What would he say about your Christian walk?