James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
In verse 26, James describes for us what worthless religion looks like. Here, in verse 27, he goes on to describe what true religion, or a true relationship with Jesus, looks like. The word "religion" here means "worshipping". In other words, when we do that which James describes here, we are genuinely and sincerely worshipping the Lord. He essentially tells us to do the two thing Jesus Himself commanded us to do in Luke 10:27, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind'; and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" Simply put, "Love God and love people". To love the fatherless and widows in their times of distress is simply to make ourselves and our resources available to those in need. It means to give our time in order to visit with those who are lonely, who may simply need someone to listen to them and encourage them. It means to get out of our comfort zone and put the needs of others before our own, trusting that God will take care of our needs. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that we were a blessing to someone in their time of distress; and that God used that opportunity to glorify Himself in that person's life. James goes on to tell us that religion that is true worship is one that keeps itself unspotted, or unblemished, from the world. 2 Corinthians 6:17 commands us to come out from among the world and be separated unto God. In other words, we are not to behave in the same manner as the unsaved do. We are to be set apart for God's purposes, and live a life that stands out, regardless of the world's opinion; and without fear of persecution. Jesus clearly told us in John 14:15 that we will obey His commands, if we truly love Him. The bottom line is this, if we want to have a testimony that shows that we are genuine followers of Jesus, then we must be careful not to create façades of religiosity, being pious windbags and thinking more of ourselves than we should. Instead, we must be genuine followers of Jesus who show our love for God by living a life of obedience to His Word, and showing genuine agape love for others, especially those who are in need. The person who walks around acting religious does so to impress man. That person's religion is worthless. The one who has a sincere walk with Jesus only cares about what pleases God, in spite of what man thinks.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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