“Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27
It was an abused solid oak table in the Habitat-for-Humanity Restore when I first saw it for sixty dollars. Scars, old paint, and stains riddled the top of the table. It sat wobbly on its base not because it was broken but because it was unattached. When the price dropped to ten dollars, I couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. Taking my prize home I began to give it the attention it needed.
Several hours of sanding took away all the stain, paint, imperfections and brought the natural wood grain back to life. Fresh stain and sealer made the table look like new. Some similar TLC on the base and now my ten-dollar prize serves us proudly in our kitchen looking like it came from a fine furniture store.
That fine solid oak table ended up in a restore because someone didn’t see its potential or simply did not know how to give it the tender-loving care it needed. An orphan is a child that has lost his/her parents due to death, neglect or separation. Widows have lost their husbands in some similar way. Both are in desperate need of attention. They simply require someone to become aware of their need and provide the TLC to restore life. According to James this is the mission of God’s people. A pure and undefiled religion is exemplified by the church that actively ministers to widows and orphans. Which conversely means the church which has no ministry to those in need, like widows and orphans is defiled! If they are not doing anything they are not carrying out God’s mission.
James began this discourse by saying: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Some it seems have mistakenly believed “ministry” happens in the church during worship, Bible study, prayer, and other church programming. But all of these activities are to prepare the church for true ministry out beyond the four walls of the church. We gather together weekly so that we can be sent out weekly!
We spend more time in-the-world than we do in-the-church. We cannot help taking on some of its influence. Like a neglected table top we desperately need the hours of TLC of the Spirit of God through worship, Bible study, and fellowship of believers to prepare us for service to the kingdom.
Don’t miss your restoration time!
Blessed by you…Bro. Sherman
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