Being in the world but not part of it is a difficult balance. Unstained by the world’s perspective means not allowing the shadow of sin to snuff out the light in us.

When my husband and I were young marrieds, we lived in a one-bedroom apartment that had vanity lights above the master bathroom mirror. We dusted them on Saturday (our cleaning day). On Sunday morning as we got ready for church, most of them burned out…1-2-3-4, one right after the other. My husband happened to be teaching the sermon that week and his point was, don’t let Satan burn out your spiritual light.

Certainly anger is the beginning of the “burning out” process (staining us). In the passage below, James (the brother of Jesus) is telling the new believers that hearing the Word is the first step towards escaping this trap (of being stained by the world). But acting on what you hear is the essential step towards “walking in the light”.

Of interest, C.S.Lewis’s fiction book, “The Great Divorce”, he uses the term ‘Shadowlands’, to describe hell and in the Narnia final trilogy to describe earth. Sheffner’s reading blog.

To take this a step further, an unbridled tongue goes hand in hand with a deceived heart. I had to do some self-introspection and find the areas where I’d harbored pockets of anger. They all began when I allowed myself to jump to conclusions that were hurtful. There were times when my tongue was bridled and then there were times when it was not. The full force of my fury even came unfurled a few of those times. Yikes!

Well, any religious stance I took was worthless at this point. What’s more amazing is the possibility of hurtful conclusions but to still believe the best in others. Or better yet, that God allowed it for my good, their good or most importantly, His glory.

Wow!! That is something to behold. True love and true religion go hand in hand. After all, that is what Christ did for us. #MotherTeresa

The righteousness of God was given to me when Jesus Christ the Lord paid for my sin on the cross. He entered the ‘shadowlands’ for all who were in bondage there . “Substitutionary atonement” is the term Bible scholars use for this, (explained to me by Pastor Tim Lane, Union Gospel Mission).

Ultimately, I want to remember that the cross stands as a bridge between God, the Father and me. Lord, help me not to be deceived by anger, by a need to be admired or any other “stain” Satan casts onto this “world’s” view of things. Instead, please allow me to always remember, “You are Creator, I am created”. -Teresa #meekness

James 1:19-27 (ESV)*

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

*OneyearBibleonline.com

Jude 1:24-25 , NET **

24Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, without blemish before his glorious presence, 25 to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.

**https://apps.apple.com/us/app/biblescope/id284805499