THE
TRUE RELIGION: Devotion for Wednesday October 5, 2016
Text:
James 1:26 – 27 Memory verse: James
1 v 27
In our text, James speaks of a relationship with
God where He is allowed to direct the terms of our behaviour. To him, this is
pure and lasting religion. James explains religion in terms of practical
service and personal purity that is by its fruits. According to his
explanation, true religion has two sides: first, that of love and mercy;
secondly, that of purity from worldly defilement. Rituals done with reverence
are not wrong; but if the person still refuses to obey God in daily life by
living out his faith, his religion will not be accepted by God.
However, it is pertinent to note that pure and
lasting religion is not perfect observance of rules and observances; instead,
it is a spirit that pervades our hearts and lives (Leviticus 19:18 and Isaiah
1:16-17). Like Jesus, James explains religion in terms of a vital inner faith
that acts itself out in daily life. Our conduct must be in keeping with our
faith (1 Corinthians 5:8).
Worthy of note here is the fact that those
with pure and lasting religion will refuse to let the world corrupt them. Are
you one of those people who will not allow the world to corrupt you? To keep
ourselves from being corrupted by the world, we need to commit ourselves to Christ’s
ethical and moral standard, and system, not the world’s standard (Romans 12:2).
We are not to adapt to the world’s value system like money, power, and
pleasure. True faith means nothing if we are contaminated with such values.
What is your position? Don’t allow
your faith to be contaminated with values of money, power, pleasures, politics,
etc.
Food
for Thought:
Have you allowed the world to corrupt you or you are still following Christ’s
standard?
Prayer:
Lord God, grant that my religion will not be that of confession alone but of
purity, love and mercy in Jesus name.
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