Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:27, ESV
This week James has been forming a rhythm in you. Three movements, three responses:
There’s a Father who doesn’t turn. Look up.
There’s a mirror that shows you who you are. Look in.
There’s a way to stay. Stay there.
But James didn’t end the chapter at verse 25. He pushed one verse further. Pure religion is not just personal formation. It is visiting orphans and widows. It is the new face of your genesis turning toward the people God has put in front of you.
On June 7 we open James chapter 2. James is going to take this same picture of the new identity and ask a hard question. Does the face you see in the mirror look like the face of someone who plays favorites? Or does it look like the face of Jesus, who treated the poor, the powerless, and the unimpressive like His own family?
The Royal Law. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Doing the Word in this passage means staying at the mirror. Doing the Word in James 2 means letting the face of your genesis turn outward, and treating people the way Jesus does.
Today: Notice one person this week the world overlooks. Treat them the way Jesus would. That is the bridge from this passage to the next.