“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.” — James 1:27 NIV

When we consider the topic of religion, our minds likely reflect on the outward expressions of rituals, sacred writings, or holy artifacts. However, the type of religion that gains God’s approval is a religion that reaches out to help others and not just about compliance to rules. Too often religious people are accomplished at keeping “oneself from being polluted by the world” but lack at an active compassion for those in need. Our fellow sojourners who have lost spouses or parents are mentioned as ones that need our compassion and action.

True religion means taking care of the poor, helping the fatherless, and rejecting the evil influences of the world. A religion held because of its time honored traditions or adherence to elevated activities does not supersede a religion of doing something for someone who can’t do for themselves. By doing for others we are doing for God. By doing for ourselves, we are only doing for ourselves.

True religion does for others as we would want done for ourselves and that is a pure act of worship to the God who created us all.