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Do You Practice Pure Religion?

7/13/2021

9 Comments

 
Picture
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
                                 James 1:27 (KJV)
 




Hi Friends,
 
     How are you today?  Last week, I wrote about James 1:26, which was about fake religion.  This week, I chose to write about James 1:27, which is about true or pure religion.  Do we ever think about the difference between fake religion and pure religion?  Do we ever check ourselves and pray as to which we are practicing?

     It is often thought of that religion means going to church on Sunday.  Yet, worshiping is only one part of religion.  Going to church is only a small part of pure religion.  As we see in James 1:27, pure religion includes loving others, because God loves us.  It includes doing things such as visiting and helping orphans, widows, sick, poor, and those who have troubles in some way or another.  It includes helping a friend, a neighbor, and even a stranger during difficult times.  We all have troubles and it is a religious and Christian thing to help others in whatever way we can. 

     In other words, religion is a lifestyle, not a once a week date at church.  It is serving and comforting those in need, not being pious, prim, and proper.  Pure religion is serving others with humbleness, not trying to bring all attention to yourself or your deeds.  Pure religion is keeping your focus on God and not the various fads of the world.

     So, it is time to look into our hearts and see which we are doing?  Are we participating in fake religion or pure religion?  What is in our heart?  God knows so we can’t fool Him.  We may be fooling others, and ourselves but we can never fool God. 

     For many of us, it may be that we are some where in the middle.  That isn’t all that good either.  We are to love God with our whole heart.  Speaking for myself, I have room for improvement.  Do you? 

     Sometimes, I think we get into a routine, where we don’t really think about how we are doing.  I think we may go to church or read the Bible or even volunteer at certain events and think we are doing well.  Yet, we don’t always take a good look at what we are doing and how well we are following God’s Word and God’s will for us.  We think we are doing well, because we aren’t cheating or stealing or breaking any of the commandments of the Old Testament.  Yet, are we following the commandment of Jesus?  Do we love God with our whole being in all that we do and loving others as ourselves?  This is pure religion.
 
Heavenly Father,
     Thank you for your love and guidance.  Thank you for giving us your Word in order to know how we should live and what we should do.  Help us to work towards pure religion and not fake religion.  Help us to serve you and not to be like those in the world, but those in your kingdom.  Help us to love you with our whole heart and whole being and to love others as ourselves.  Help us to know that this is what you want for us and from us.  Help us to look towards Jesus as our true example and to listen to your Holy Spirit for direction.  I ask you this through your Son, Jesus.  Amen.

 
  *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
 
Reflective Questions for James 1:27 (KJV):
*What does James 1:27 mean to me?
*Do I practice fake religion or pure religion?
*Is religion a weekly visit to a church or an every day lifestyle practice for
 me?
*What can I do different to better practice pure religion?
*Do I stop and check myself often to make sure I am doing my best to
 practice pure religion or do I get caught up in the habit without thinking
 about it?

    
Now, it is your turn! 
     I would like to hear your thoughts and comments.  Please, comment below.  Also, if you are enjoying this blog, please subscribe to get updated content in your inbox and share this blog with your friends.  Thank you.
    


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9 Comments
Susie link
7/13/2021 09:13:45 am

I love this message. Right on! Thank you for writing. You have a gift and I am so proud of you.

Reply
Jodi of DUO Inspirations link
7/13/2021 07:04:41 pm

Thank you for the kind words and support Susie. I appreciate it. I pray and God gives me the words. I thank Him.

Reply
Sandra Arbeni
7/13/2021 09:54:10 am

A very interesting article.
I will give you my thoughts on the word religion. I consider it to be a concept and has nothing to do with the faith in our Almighty that I have.
Living in a Greek Orthodox country has really opened my eyes at what it really means to be a true believer. Most Greeks are religious and even consider themselves to be Christians, just not 'born again '. That's why I always clarify my Christianity by either saying faith filled or born again.
There is a huge distinction in how the Greeks define their misleading Christianity. From ritual after ritual, infant baptism, their praying to Mary the mother of Jesus so she can intercept their prayers, the ancient clothing the Priests wear. August 15 is a sacred holy day to celebrate Mary's birthday, which is equal to Christmas and Easter.
We must be very careful how we use the words religion and Christianity because so many well intended people of faith use them incorrectly in an uneducated way.
I hope that I clarified some points.
I take my beliefs extremely seriously and want people to know where I stand.
I would never openly criticize false believers on my FB page but there are do many false religions out there and some don't even realize that fact.

Reply
Jodi of DUO Inspirations link
7/13/2021 07:09:22 pm

Hi Sandra. Thank you for taking the time to clarify your views on religion. As for me, I was using the word religion as stated in James 1:27. I didn't state a definition of my own.

Reply
Sandra
7/14/2021 04:48:28 am

Thank you for your kind reply.
I often get side tracked which is something I've been trying to overcome.
Prayers would be welcomed because I'd love to just open my arms and mind to all of the positivity in front of me.
Your response was so gentle.

Jodi of DUO Inspirations link
7/14/2021 09:28:42 am

Hi Sandra. It is my pleasure to pray for you.

Vicky
7/13/2021 01:01:23 pm

Good word ! I do well I’m some areas and not so well in others! I’d love to see myself be more humble and have more of a servant attitude.

Reply
Jodi of DUO Inspirations link
7/13/2021 07:11:25 pm

Vicky, thank you for your kindness and support. Yes, I could say the same about myself. I think God is working on me through writing this blog. Lol.

Reply
Sandra
7/14/2021 04:49:36 am

I couldn't agree with you more.

Reply



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    Hi friends!

    This is Jodi.  I am so glad you are here!  I am a Christian and life-long learner.  I enjoy sharing and encouraging others.  I pray you are blessed by this blog.  Thank you for being here.

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