Bringing Back the Dead
Do you believe in prayer?
The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. - James 5:15-16
James, the brother of Jesus, believes in prayer.
He tells us to call on God for help, to do the same for others and to ask others to do the same on our behalf.
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. - James 5:19-20
We have the power, he says, to bring someone back from death.
That's an awesome assertion. If we accept the premise, that we are all sinners and we will all die, and we live in the hope of the resurrection, then it is only natural to believe that we can help others be saved as well.
So, how does one go about finding sinners and bringing them back to God? And what right do we have to tell someone else that they need to change their way?
The challenge here is one of rights. Don't we have the right to live as we choose?
I remember when I was younger, much younger. I thought I knew some things about myself and my life. I compared my situation to that of my parents and my sister and I said, I think I'm doing ok. Things could have been better perhaps, but I had few examples around me to prove that.
It was later, when I met my wife that I discovered a whole new level of happiness and love. If she hadn't come into my life, I would never have known how much better life could be.
That's how I interpret what James is saying.
We don't have to impose a belief on others. It may be enough to show them that life is better than they may think, and if we live the life we talk about, we are an example of that love.
It can be that simple, and I don't have to be judgmental. I don't have to say, there is a sinner; let me go fix him.
So, what example will I be today?
More to come...
Image credit: Patheos