The Earl of Shaftesbury, the Victorian reformer and philanthropist, described his father as a “selfish and cold-hearted bully”, and his mother as a “fiend”. But he found love and acceptance through his mother’s maid, Maria, who shared with him the good news of Jesus.
He committed to following Jesus at the age of six. And God’s mercy and love would carry him through incredibly tough times. For instance, at seven he was sent to a public school where “the treatment was starvation and cruelty”. Maria died when he was only ten, leaving him heartbroken.
Having endured such a painful childhood, Shaftesbury later used his political and social clout to implement changes in law to protect children from being exploited. His social action was borne out of his love for God and daily Bible reading and prayer. He followed the instruction of James, writing to the Christians scattered about, to “look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). He was a keen proponent of both care for the vulnerable and seeking to be pure before God.
God used Shaftesbury greatly, redeeming the heartache of his childhood as he lived out his faith and beliefs. We too can find “blessing in what [we] do” (v. 25). We can trust that our merciful God will multiply our efforts as we look out for those in need.
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
How have you seen God turn even the hard experiences of your life for good? How can you trust Him when you face challenges and anguish?
Reforming God, You make all things new. You can take the hard things I experience and redeem them. Use me for Your glory.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of James is often referred to as the Proverbs of the New Testament because its message centres around wise living in light of the Scriptures. The middle paragraph of today’s passage (1:22–25) highlights this focus.
Though in our English translations verse 22 seems to contain two commands—“do not” and “do”—in Greek there’s only a single imperative verb, ginesthe, which means “to be.” It indicates continuing action—“continue to be”—rather than a single completed action. Be is also the first word in the Greek, which emphasizes its significance in the verse. So James’ command in 1:22 would literally read: “Be, and continue to be, doers of the word and not merely hearers, deceiving yourselves.” James is emphasizing that actions guided by the Scriptures and the enabling of the Spirit are to define the believer in Jesus.
J.R. Hudberg
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