Orphans and Widows

I read James 1 yesterday and could not get away from the last verse which says, “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.”

When I read this verse 3 things came to mind:

1. What religion truly is in light of the misconceptions of the Christian culture




2. The importance of mercy ministries




3. And the importance of maintaining purity in the world.

All around us there is the gap between the Christian culture and Biblical culture. Just read your Bible and then go to your local Christian bookstore and see firsthand the chasm of difference. Mark Driscoll address' this problem in more detail, to better understand what I am saying watch this video.

Christian culture would preach that religion is attending church, keeping rules, abstaining from certain things, and fitting into a certain mold. Christian culture can tend to be a religion concerned with appearance, while the religion that is pure before God is a religion of the heart. God wants our hearts, not our offerings, our Sunday's, our Christian lyrics put to contemporary Christian melodies, or our self-help books. God desires our hearts to be on fire for Him, His Word and His people. You want to be religious? Then pick up your cross, help some orphans and widows, love your neighbor, and most importantly love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength.

What I see in this verse is the heart of a Father; our Father. I also see how loving our Father is by mentioning specific types of individuals. Our Father has a heart for those who do not have, those who have lost, those who have need, and those who are afflicted. This is the heart that burns inside our Father and He wants us to burn with the same heart. God knows that if we extend love to those in need it is as if we are doing it unto our Father in Heaven; our love for people is evidence of our love for Jesus. In essence, love is pure and undefiled religion before God.

The last thing that stands out to me in this verse is the fact that we need to keep ourselves unstained from the world. To me this means we must not have a divided heart, we must not have any stains on our hearts that corrupt our love for Christ. We must guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and keep watch over our souls lest our love for God and others becomes stained for the love of the things of this world. Again, it's about the heart here, God desires for us to have a clean, pure heart. If we are stained with the world we do not love, because the world is not love, God is love.

This is what should set apart Christian mercy ministries from non-Christian non-profit organizations; the heart. God doesn't just want good deeds, visiting the orphans and widows, but He wants a heart unstained from the world , meaning we visit the orphan and widow for the Glory of God, the furtherance of the Gospel, and because we love Christ and our neighbors. This is why Abel's sacrifice was more acceptable before God than Cain's sacrifice, because Abel's heart was right before God. Abel gave God his first fruits, he didn't hold back; he put God first. When the unregenerate person visits the orphan and widow it's empty action fueled for the glory of man, when the regenerate person visits the orphan and widow it should be propelled for the glory of God with a heart overflowing with love for God; good deeds without love for Christ and the cross are dead.

Let's remember what true religion is and let's guard it zealously!