I was held up this evening by a no armed bandit. During a break in my evening class I approached a large inviting machine with my money in hand. I needed a drink. The picture on the front depicted an icy cold frosty bottle of refreshment. It was muggy and I had been lecturing for three hours. It looked so good. I slipped my money in the slot and I heard all kinds of banging and rumbling inside. Watching with great anticipation I waited for the bottle to drop into the open bay. Suddenly the machine grew silent without delivering my drink. I pressed the money return button and this time it never even bothered to make noise. It just sat there silently. I was robbed. It never delivered what it promised.
Drooping my way back to my classroom for yet one more hour of class I wondering how many times we as Christians do the same thing the machine did. People find out we are Christians and they come to us expecting kindness and help. Instead they get a lot of rumbling and noise but never anything of substance.
James talks of this in James 2:15–17. “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 9, 2002
Spring of Life, 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453