Greater Grail*

"Not him, Lord! The bum with offensive smell,
Unkempt hair, rheumy** eyes, and clothes unclean;
He looks as if he spent the night in hell;
Why not send him away before he's seen?
He's one soul your Kingdom can do without;
Of no profit, to earth's or heaven's cause!
Yonder suited man could help us, no doubt!"
I thought to God; He answered without pause,
"Yet, both alike in my image were made;
I delight in helping the weak grow strong!
For sins of both rich and poor are wages paid;
Both souls in the Kingdom of God belong!"
Let not outward appearance tip the scale;
What a man can become is greater grail*!

*grail = treasure **rheumy = bloodshot

Unfortunately members of the typical church resemble each other in skin color, culture, educational level, and economic status. This is not what Jesus intended, but ridding the human nature of prejudice is very difficult. That is no excuse, though; it is sinful to regard outward appearances in worth or admission into God's kingdom. If we are to love as Jesus loved, we will love the poor, the outcast, the imprisoned-in-jail and those addicted to drugs. Mother Theresa of Calcutta roamed the poor sections seeking lepers and others that were homeless, gathered them to herself, and took them in to live with her in a clinic that always had room for one more.

Jesus chose 12 ordinary men for apostles that were commissioned to preach the gospel in all the world, before kings and governors, philosophers, rich and poor. They were humble men, uneducated, poor fishermen and the rank-and-file of Galilee, which was a stigma to fellow Jews.

We are to love all; yes, even Muslims, whose imams (preachers) and Qur'an (their bible) advocate publicly the eradication of Jews and Christians, calling the United States "the great Satan". We are never to bow before Allah, their god, or Mohammed, their false prophet. It is possible that during The Great Tribulation, a prophetic time of distress on earth, we will be brought before an Islamic ruler and told to either accept Allah or have our heads severed; we must not do this, even if we die for refusing.