Read James 1:27 – 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.
A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the fourfold purpose of leading the Church in: evangelization of the world, worship of God, building a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son, and meeting human need with ministries of love and compassion.
In the verse before, James states that the man who thinks he is a true worshiper of God deceives himself if he is a gossiper. True worship is expressed in how we take care of those who are suffering and in how we keep ourselves unspotted from the world. By this definition most of us should quake with fear! Our worship is validated by how we have cared for the weak and defenseless among us and how far removed we are from the pollution of this world. Most of us are so caught up with the world that there is no noticeable difference between us and the man who has no faith. You do the comparison and identify the differences! The best place to start is by asking how much you have invested yourself in the lives of the poor! Then ask how much of this world’s system is embedded in your life. When you lift your hand to worship on Sunday in the church meeting, be sure it is followed by lifting the poor on Monday.
– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.
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