Spiritual Triage

A while back the Parkway men used to have a breakfast once a month at a local eatery. Breakfast isn’t really my thing and for me usually a cup of coffee suffices. I came in late for one of the breakfasts and of course the guys gave me a hard time about being late and that’s OK… I expect it because I distribute a lot of grief myself.

Anyway they were on me for being late and I told them that on the way in I saw a young woman with three kids broke down on the side of the road and stopped to help her. I prayed for them and wished them well and went merrily on my way. Of course that story was completely fictitious but it did shut them up (briefly).

Of course James 2:14 states… “What good is it brethren if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds. Can such a faith save him?”

The scripture talks in multiple places about the importance of prayer and how we should be praying continually. But there is a time for prayer and a time for action. Don’t be so involved in spiritual activities like prayer, Bible study, singing, etc. that you fail to act when action is required.

Of course if I had actually seen the young woman with three small children stranded on the side of the road the appropriate action would have been to stop and address her actual need… we could always have prayed after-wards.