James 1:27 (NIV) 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.

I love the Word of God because it gives us the foundation of not only our faith in Jesus, but also gives us the definition of what it means and what it looks like to be a follower of Christ. Down through the ages, the history of mankind has been to take what God has given us and mold it and shape it to what we think it should be. Today in this country, many Christians have packaged Christianity as entertainment, fun activities and as a friendly companion to the world and its ways. That is not the Gospel that Jesus preached. That is not the Gospel that the Apostle Paul preached. The Gospel is the good news of salvation through the atoning sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross and it has the power to change lives, bringing people closer and closer to becoming like Jesus.

Jesus modeled the truth of the Gospel for us. He even uttered the words that I still have trouble wrapping my mind around, which were as follows: “The Son of Man didn’t come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).” The entirety of the life of Jesus was spent in serving, healing and ministering to everyone that He came in contact with. Many believers have moved far away from the example that Jesus gave us of what it means to serve God. We have perfected church services, have made worship into fine-tuned concerts and have watered down the Word of God to make it less offensive. But as far as having an urgency for the lost and a heart for the poor, the lame and the orphans and widows, that seems to be a thing of the past for many. The Word of God tell us that we are just making a lot of noise if we are doing anything at all without the love and care that we should have in serving others.

Let’s get back to the basics of our faith. The verse above tells us the kind of “religion” that the Father accepts and what many are practicing today looks nothing like it. Let's be a light to people who are hurting because Jesus, the Light, lives in us. When you are actually following Christ Jesus, you don't have to pretend or make anything up. You don’t even have to have a special day or week in your church where you focus on serving. Let the serving that you do come from a heart that has been invaded with the love of God because when that happens, that love will look to express itself by loving and serving others. That, you can be sure, is what the Father will accept and is what will draw His blessings to your life.

Pastor Joey Vazquez