There are sins and faults and bad habits, and then there are what I call clueless sins and faults and bad habits.

They are from biblical teachings that make me nervous. They show how it is too easy to slide into ignoring the signs that we might be headed in bad directions, away from being good friends to Christ.

Consider Jesus’ parable of the rich man who dressed in purple, ate sumptuously and never took care of the beggar Lazarus. Always we must ask ourselves if our indulgences are similarly out of proportion to the help we give to those in need.

Depending on where we live, the roads we drive on, the work we do and the company we keep, we may easily not see and meet and rub elbows with the poor. Many of us have to make deliberate efforts to move beyond our usual territory in order to open our eyes and our hearts to people who are not as blessed as we have been, materially and in other ways.

We also can take a hard look at our checkbooks and bank statements for clues as we work to unearth evidence that we have, or are on our way, to become a modern-day version of that rich man. Biblical tithing and stewardship are excellent weapons to avoid that rich man’s sad fate.

It’s good to discover that God will help us in these efforts.

A younger rich man is featured in what has been called the saddest story in the Bible.

From all we can tell, he is a good guy who follows church laws, does the right things and behaves himself. But when he is called to follow Jesus, the young man can’t do it. He is too attached to his many possessions. So, I ask myself, am I ready to drop everything, to risk my livelihood, to let go of what gives me some feeling of security — whenever Jesus calls?

Years ago, an acquaintance asked if I’d be willing to give up my little car if God asked. His question took my breath away because it was my first car and it was “freedom” to me. I wrestled with that challenge all night before I finally could tell God “yes,” that if He indeed wanted me to let go of my car, I would do so. Right away, it felt like I’d passed a test and did not actually have to follow through.

Getting to “yes” that one time does not make “yes” an automatic answer today. In fact, the older I get, the worse that struggle to say “yes” is proving to be. We do get settled into routines over time, and we also realize the hardness of the world. By and large, our status quo becomes a matter of avoiding risks.
That makes it all the better for us to dig out what might keep us from sticking our necks out for Jesus. All we have to do is look at what we have — including people, employment, entertainment and possessions — and ask if we could give it up if God asked us to do so.

It’s just good to push ourselves on a regular basis to determine how free we are.

Finally, we have a couple descriptions of the end times. One story says that Jesus will separate people like sheep from goats, with only the sheep going to heaven. Both groups ask the Lord when it was that they did or did not serve Him. He notes that whatever we do to “the least” among us, we do to Him.
Those “least” are everyone, at some point or other. We’ve all been children; most of us will grow old.

We may experience hunger, rejection, fear, discouragement, frustration and pain at all ages.

Still it is easy to forget that we are obligated by our faith to serve and assist one another, with particularly kind attention toward those who are at a point in life where we can tell that they are in sorrow or distress. To do that, we have to pay attention and focus on others instead of on ourselves. Not an easy task.

Another end times parable puts me on Red Alert with its message. Jesus says that He will tell many who say to Him, “Lord, Lord,” and who claim to have preached and done mighty deeds in His name that He does not know them.

That frightening parable is well worth pondering as we work this Lent to assure that our hearts are with Jesus.

It’s good to take concrete steps to be sure we don’t become clueless.