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.”
This is one of my favorite verses. I think so often we get caught up in our own definitions of religion, we forget what God’s definition is. After all, He rescued us and adopted us into His family, should it surprise us that He values caring for orphans? I would argue that it should not, but that so often it does. Or perhaps surprise is the wrong word. Perhaps we just ignore it. I watched a dvd on orphans in America over Christmas and there are less orphans than churches. So if each church encouraged one family to adopt, there would be no more orphans. I know, I know, “It’s not that simple” you say. Perhaps its not. But maybe it is. Maybe it is just as simple as presenting the facts and asking our brothers and sisters to pray and seek God’s leading. Or perhaps adopting is not a reality, but what could you do? Can you offer support-emotionally, financially etc? Check out Show Hope or Hope, Believe, Obey.
See, I know someone that lives this verse. My life has been changed, impacted, and will never be the same because I met James 1:27 in a normal, average person doing extraordinary, incredible things. It’s not something I believe only certain people are called to. It’s the way we are supposed to live. Perhaps it doesn’t always look like adoption, but I believe it always looks like caring for the orphan and widow to the greatest of our capacity.
