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If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. - James 1:26-27
To "visit the fatherless" is a commandment. While this can be literally referring to someone without a father, it also is talking about people who don't know the heavenly Father - people who aren't saved.
Many scriptures have a spiritual application as opposed to just being literal. In this scripture widows can mean someone without a companion - without someone to support them. Back in the days when the Bible was written, literal widows didn't have the support that they would today (i.e. government support, social security, etc) and the saints had to step in to "fill in the gap".
What could we accomplish if we just started looking beyond ourselves, seeing a need and reaching out? Where would our meditation be if we were reaching out and looking beyond our own little bubble? We would be thinking beyond our trials and what we are going through. We'd find ourselves less concerned about our heartaches and more about those of someone else. Where would our prayer life be if we were conscious about the trials of others? Instead of being focused on our upsets, we'd be wondering about and praying for someone else.
(James 2:1-10)
Respect of persons:
* getting angry about something someone does, but not getting so angry when someone else does the same thing.
* making judgments based on a person's appearance
We can easily have respect of persons if we focus on a person's nice clothes or nice talk. We shouldn't lift one person above another - even in our relationships; even if they are not our spiritual brother or sister; even if the person is in a low place such as a drug attic - that person is still a soul. It's all in the attitude and how we look at something or perceive something. If it's not Christ-like, we need to change. God looks on the heart - not the appearance.
We need to be careful not to look at a situation and judge by what we see because we don't see the heart. We don't know what the person(s) involved is going through or struggling with. They may be sincere and praying hard and really trying. When we stand back and start judging, they might see our attitude and think "forget it - it's not for me". We can get carried away in our thoughts even with people that have left God. Some things we have to simply leave in God's hands.
If we were the ones who were "poor in spirit", we'd want someone to long-suffer with us.
God loves everyone and puts everyone in His church that loves Him and wants to serve Him. God uses all of us. We need to be careful not to look down on anyone - one day they may be the one(s) God sets over us to lead us. (those that are sick, slow, "weird", poor, foul, etc.) When we have "respect of persons", we are sinning because we are transgressing God's law. We need to watch our attitude.
What if the person did you wrong or betrayed you? Are you going to take it and turn it into a trial or will you give it to God and leave it with Him? That person that has wronged you may be going through something that you have no idea about.
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. - Mark 11:25
If you cannot forgive someone and you die that way, it may be the one thing that bars you from heaven. Even if that person has not asked for your forgiveness, you still need to forgive.
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. - Matthew 18:21-22
It's not for us to judge a person's sincerity - we still have to forgive.
(Galatians 6:1-5)
If we don't go through something right, we will be tempted. We may judge a person for the way they handle something or go through something, but later on we ourselves may be tempted by the same thing.
Never be proud in trying to restore somebody.
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