James 1:27 (NIVUK)
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.
On Sunday Edith mentioned James in connection with Dorcas’ good deeds, and his statement that faith without works is dead or useless. Here’s another passage that reminds me of Dorcas’s example, with James telling us that the kind of religion God wants is one that rolls up its sleeves and gets on with the job of looking after the vulnerable. Seeking to be holy, to live God’s way, doesn’t mean that we avoid contact with the world around us, rather we get involved in the world, making a difference for those in need. Are we polluted by looking after the oppressed and needy? I would argue the reverse, we’ve become polluted by the world if we isolate ourselves from those in distress!
Father, Jesus came into our world to serve us not himself. Help us to do the same by your Spirit, to serve others and bring you glory.
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