Thursday, November 10, 2022

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

James 1:27

When you hear the word “religion,” there are a number of images that come to mind. Many of us think of churches, robed clergy, communion cups, and steeples. We may also think of praying hands, crosses, or bibles. Very rarely does the image in today’s scripture come to mind. The Bible says that pure and undefiled religion is to visit orphans and widows and keep oneself unspotted from the world.

As I get older, I think about widows often. I think about what it must feel like to live with a man or woman for decades and just like that, they are gone. This is the road that many travel. Their entire lives are totally disrupted – every activity disrupted: meals, work, church, travel, entertainment. God shares his heart with us regarding the widow over and over again. He wants us to be his hands and feet as it relates to them.

Here are some additional scriptures that demonstrate God’s heart for the widow.

• Deuteronomy 10:18 – He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.

• Psalm 146:9 – The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked.

• Proverbs 15:25 – The Lord will tear down the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow.

PRAYER: Lord, I want to be a Christian in all that I do. Give me a heart for the widow. Let me not become so busy with my life that I forget about those who are going through trouble. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.