True Religion

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled True Religion, was written by Katira Patton. The summer after my sophomore year of college, a classmate died unexpectedly.

I'd seen him just a few days prior, and he looked fine. My classmates and I were young and in what we thought was the prime of our lives, having just become sisters and brothers after pledging our respective sorority and fraternity. But what I remember most about my classmate's death was witnessing my fraternity friends live out what the apostle James calls genuine religion. The men in the fraternity became like brothers to the sister of the deceased. They attended her wedding and traveled to her baby shower years after her brother's death. One even gifted her a cell phone to contact him whenever she needed to call. True religion, according to James, is to look after orphans and widows in their distress. While my friend's sister wasn't an orphan in the literal sense, she no longer had her brother.

Her new brothers filled in the gap. And that's what all of us who want to practice true and pure life in Jesus can do. Do what Scripture says, including caring for those in need. Our faith in Him prompts us to look after the vulnerable as we keep ourselves from the negative influences of the world as He helps us.

After all, it's the true religion God accepts. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from James chapter 1 verses 19 through 27. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves and their religion is worthless.

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. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, open our eyes to see those around us who are hurting and vulnerable. Lead us in how we can best care for their needs and help us to do so faithfully. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Toni Collier and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.