Put these verses alongside the tawdry news stories of Anthony Weiner, et. al. …

I was reading the news this morning and thinking of the disgraced …

Anthony Weiner

Eliot Spitzer

Bill Clinton

Mark Sanford

Bob Filner

… all being mentioned in the last few days for being such bad boys.  And indeed they were.  Indeed they are.

And yes, several of them are still popular, very popular.  Trusted?  Well, now that’s a different question. Popularity almost always trumps trust, at least in the short term, and certainly in politics.

While reading the news, and yes — shaking my head — I thought, “Whew.  At least I’m not as bad as some of these guys.”

But earlier this morning I had read I Corinthians 5 where the Apostle Paul writes about a man in the church sleeping with his stepmother.  “Well, great.  How’s that working for you folks there at the church in Corinth?”

And sitting at my desk I suddenly blurted out, “Who says you aren’t this bad, Don?  Come on.  Are we keeping score here, Follis?  Because if you are, I’d like to know what rules you are using in judging the severity of this or that behavior?”  

The Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 5 goes on to say it’s not really our job — thank you very much — to judge those outside the church.  It is our job to judge those inside the church who are are sinning.  God will judge those on the outside.

So the person whose sins — Read: the person INSIDE the church — I need to be worrying about this morning, the person whose sin and behavior needs to be placed under the magnifying glass, the person with three fingers pointing back at him, is me.

The main problem with the church always is ME.  

Thus, the verses for today, those verses that get placed beside all the tawdry news stories about this or that politician’s sexual escapades, are:

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, that you may be healed.”  James 5:16

and

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”  James 4:10