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 by the world. James 1:27 NIV
The Context and Focus:
In defining religion, one source calls it 'the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods'. This would mean that even the world's views of religion connote the existence of supernatural entities. Another source calls it 'a particular system of faith and worship'. In both instances, one thing that runs through is the fact that the proof of religion is seen in physical terms. There are practices and procedures that prove a person's adherence to a particular religion. For example, if I claim that I follow the Christian religion, if we can call it that, there are things that I must be seen doing, which will be proof that I truly follow the religion. The same goes for all the other 'religions' around the world. It is then important for me to evaluate my life in light of who I claim to be. What I do must be a good reflection of who I claim to be. The reason why the world is tired of talking about religion is because there is too much hypocrisy and eye-service. We pretend to be what we are not, or just simply keep up appearances, deceiving ourselves in the process, and in some instances, actually leading some people astray.
The Message:
If indeed I am of the religion named after Christ, it means that there are practices that I must be engaged in. We know that the Christian faith is not first defined by what we do, but by who lives inside of us; however, the proof of that inner presence is what the world must see, so it can also be attracted to Christ. I can make all the claims, but my life's output will be the greatest proof of God's presence in me. I can make all the claims in the world; in fact, I can align with all the things the world notices and applauds, but the challenge is God is not deceived by all the drama and pretence. Today's verse highlights the balance God expects from those who claim to follow him: their public dedication must match their private devotion. Recall the testimony of the crowd when that lame man was healed at the Beautiful Gate. The crowd looked at Peter and John and took note of two things: they were unschooled and unlearned; maybe what you would call uneducated today, but the other thing the crowd noticed was that these men had been with Jesus. Is the presence of God evident in my life? Does His imprint in me show in the way I relate with other people?
The Conclusion:
It is in my public life that the fruit of my private life is made manifest. There are lives to impact, and needs to meet. Everywhere you turn, there are tough times. Yet, God wants me to be His eyes, lips, feet, hands and heart to the dying world around me. He has placed his Spirit in me, so that His nature, power and grace can flow out of me. I am asked to let my light so shine before men, so that they can see my good works, and glorify my father in heaven. It is by touching lives that men can also reach out to God. As I seek to impact and bless lives, I must not forget the other part of the verse, which demands that I keep myself pure. This is key: what would it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? What is the point of the applause of men if God has no record of my devotion and surrender to Him? At the end of it all, what is critical is the outflow of the life of God in me. If God really lived in me, then the world would have been blessed by Him. It is important that with a desire to be a blessing, I must also desire to see God live in and move through me. He wants to, only if I will let Him. Now, that is true Religion. God's time of favour is here.
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