Pure Religion

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Scripture: James 1:26-27 (ESV)

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Devotion

            Here in today’s scripture the author of James gives a prescription for what ails the church in every generation. The church so easily loses track of its reason for existence. We as a church are in constant danger of losing our collective minds over trivia, and neglecting the important work of loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves with all our being. Jesus kept the main thing, the main thing throughout His ministry. He shut down all attempts by others to speak about matters that did not concern Him.

            For the church today there is much in our culture that needs addressing. However, how to address these issues is the focus of the message of these verses. We are to learn to control our tongues so that our witness will be pure and spotless before the watching world. We too often speak when we should be silent and are silent when we should speak. Our tongues get us into all sorts of trouble. Jesus our Savior always made it clear that His priority was bringing the kingdom of God near to those who needed it most.

            We, in the church of Jesus Christ, should be constantly showing mercy to those cast aside by society. Jesus ministered to broken bodies, broken minds, and broken hearts every chance He got. We would go a lot farther in advancing the mission of the church if we were seen ministering to those who need us most. We too frequently use people who are broken to “score points” in culture wars rather than treating them with Christlike love and compassion.

            Finally, we see in these verses a call to keep the church unstained by the world. Frequently the church seeks to look good in the eyes of the culture instead of seeking the approval of our Heavenly Father. The result is we become ineffective ministers of the gospel because our reputation and the reputation of our Lord and Savior have been irreparably harmed by our actions. Our desire must always be to please the one who saved us. Our serving the widow and orphan is to be the first order of business for the church of Jesus Christ. We know that broken people, as we all are, need Jesus and the comfort of human companionship to make it through the day. Therefore, let us be about ministering to the least, the last, and the lost among us.

Prayer:

            Father in heaven help your church help the world today. Keep our eyes focused on bringing your kingdom to earth until you come again. Do not let us be distracted from our heavenly calling. Let us focus our attention on the broken people you have put in our path. Let us pick up our crosses daily and follow your Son wherever He leads us. Let us be ministers of compassion and love to every hurting soul we see. Send your Holy Spirit to refresh us so that we may not burn out, but always seek to do your will. Amen.

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