JAMES 1:27

"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."

James 1:27

 

In our family, we value highly God's plans to care for the vulnerable. We read James 1:27 like so many others and see clearly that God values our attentiveness to the orphans and widows, those who need protection in our world, and it makes us want to do something.

 

But, there's another instruction in James 1:27 that strangely is often overlooked by orphan care enthusiasts and it's not to be dismissed.
I'm sure God was intentional when He wrote ALL of the verse, so I'm taking a close look.

 

James 1:27 clearly follows up care for the needy with God's intent for those who love Him, who call themselves His disciples, who call themselves Christians, who take their "religion" seriously and long for it to be pure and undefiled that they would likewise be...

...unstained from the world.

 

James adds in chapter 4:

 

"Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

James 4:4

 

Yikes...enemy of God?! No thank you.

 

Thus, my thoughts today as we anticipate the arrival of our new, dearly loved already, precious children all the way home from China swirl intent not only upon loving them and caring for them as would be pleasing to the Lord, but likewise I pray that we as a family can live a life set apart for God's glory, a life of faith that exists pure and undefiled, unstained from the world.

 

May we love the people of the world as Christ loves them. May we go into the world as salt and light like we've been commissioned, sharing the hope we have in the saving truths of the Gospel. BUT, may we live the whole of James 1:27 in our pursuits, caring for orphans and widows, yes, but also reading and being doers of ALL of what James said...living unstained lives, set apart from the world to the glory of God. Lord, please open the eyes of our hearts that we might see what you intend.

 

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

1 John 2:15-17