James 1:26 Those
who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their
tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. (NIV)
According to James, the
brother of Jesus, being religious and being Christian were two separate things,
especially when it came down to behavior. In his time, folks were very
religious and sought to distinguish themselves by proudly displaying their faith
and testifying to their own righteousness. However, when they spoke
disdainfully or aggressively criticized others, this conveyed, as James wrote, that
their religion was worthless. In other words, they were just going through the
motions of appearing to be faithful, but their brutal words and strident ways
showed them for what they were: absolute hypocrites who were not worth
following or copying.
Application: During
these troubled times, we need to personally ask ourselves: is my religion real
or worthless?
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
open our eyes to those who feign to be faithful and keep us from being misled. Let
us also be aware of our own sinful ways. May our faith be real and not
worthless. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin
Presbyterian Church in Knoxville,
Tennessee. Come and join us for worship each Sunday at 11:00 AM. You will be
made very welcome 😊
Today’s image is one of
John’s drawings called ‘Spirit 2020.’. If you would like to view a larger
version, please click this link: Spirit.
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