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. (James 1:27) NASB
There seems to be a trend right now (well actually for quite a few years), that I’m not sure is good. That trend is open bashing of ‘religion’.
I’m sure we have all seen bumper stickers, book marks, t-shirts, and memes on social media. They say things like:
“I’m not religious. I just love Jesus.”
“It’s not about religion. It’s about relationship.”
“You think you have a problem with religious people. They killed Jesus.”
Depending on what you see as religion, it is easy to see where the authors and bearers of these phrases are coming from.
Worse still, there are countless people, pastors, and self-proclaimed prophets that proclaim hatred, pride, prosperity, and any number of worldly values instead of the Kingdom of God and its righteousness.
By and large, what we usually think of as religion has become more tradition than salvation, more death than life, more hatred than love.
That is NOT what Gods calls religion to be. Religion should be pure and undefiled. To be religious one should be a doer and not just a hearer of God’s Word (James 1:22).
Pure religion should keep us unsoiled in a dirty world. It is not simply ceremony; but rather the worshipping of God in Truth and in Spirit (John 4:23-24).
Our religion should not be one of judging by mere appearances or providing what we think is necessary lip service, but rather it should be one in pursuit of righteousness (John 7:24). Our religion should be one with Justice, tempered with Mercy and Grace and performed in the aforementioned Spirit and Truth.
Instead of me complaining about “religious” people and churches that do not meet my standards, I need to set my mind on the mark of the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus, and pray my heart will be bent to what God’s Word calls true religion. To say that is more than a mouthful for me. The only way that I could possibly do that is thru the saving Grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.