True Religion

True Religion is more than a pair of jeans.

James 1:27 describes what religion really is: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted from the world.”

Does that verse challenge your thoughts on religion?  Are you still thinking about dry and boring rituals or are your thoughts taking a new path?

Taking this one select verse to construct an entire theology would not be appropriate. There are many who do that though.  I don’t think that’s what James had in mind when He heard from the Holy Spirit and penned those words. It can be dangerous to place too much emphasis on works. Often it’s a slippery slope- we end up doing more and more to try and please God our Father. Doing God’s work won’t cause Him to love us any more or any less, but it’s a sure sign that God’s love is living in us. I believe it does make Him proud, and I believe He does reward us for it, but it does not alter His love towards us one bit.  

As destructive spiritually as attempting to earn  God’s grace can be, ignoring or misunderstanding His words in James 1:27 can be equally damaging.  Many of us get so caught up in our own journey that we forget to pay attention to those we are passing by. God doesn’t place people in our path for no reason. So it’s a good idea to stay in tune with the Holy Spirit and pay close attention. Many people that we come across may have never had an encounter with the Living God, and their first glimpse of Him comes through us.

Perhaps you’re thinking to yourself, “ I don’t  really know any orphans or widows to take care of.”   I don't think the context of this verse limits us strictly to orphans and widows. That just doesn't match up with the rest of Scripture.Open your eyes and consciously look around. You’ll start seeing needs you never knew were there, and probably not far from your own front lawn.  Maybe a single mother  of four could use a gift card for  some groceries and diapers. Perhaps  an elderly neighbor is suffering exhaustion because they can’t sleep through the hot summer nights and you have an extra air conditioner. Possibly the coworker going through a divorce needs a listening ear. Give them your cell phone number with an open invitation to call any time, or take them out for coffee. Maybe you can cut the grass for the disabled  veteran up the street. Maybe you can visit a shut-in, volunteer at a shelter, or play your banjo at the nursing home.  If you can perform a song using only the G chord, I'll sign right up for that banjo playing stuff. Maybe I can even get Steve Martin to join me.  

Mother Theresa challenged us with these powerful words:

 “You  can find Calcutta anywhere in the world. You only need two eyes to see. Everywhere in the world there are people that are not loved, people that no one will help, people that are pushed away or forgotten. And this is the greatest poverty.”  

If you’re already chipping in around your community, good for you. Maybe it’s time to extend your reach. Maybe it’s time to think bigger. One huge issuing facing the world is AIDS.

Every hour, approximately 230 people die from AIDS. That means that just about  every four seconds, four parents are left without a precious child, or a child is left without a parent. You might be thinking, “Big deal. Four people per second isn’t that many. Why all the fuss? It’s just part of life.” I bet you wouldn’t be thinking that if every four seconds people were dropping dead in your town. Sooner or later you’d be affected. Sooner or later that statistic would include you, and then you’d start caring.

I read a quote from Bono. Perhaps you’ll have some theology issues with it. Perhaps you’ll  agree 100% Read it, and take it as you will:

“God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both of their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us, if we are with them.”

So my question is this- How is your religion doing? IF your religion is that of a follower of Jesus Christ, you should be keeping pretty busy  establishing relationship, meeting people’s needs and showing them love. After all, that’s the kind of religion that God the Father finds to be pure and faultless.