GOAT: Through ServiceSample

What comes to mind when you think of religion? Going to church? Reading the Bible? Following rules? Many ideas are attached to the word “religion,” but in Scripture, James, Jesus’s brother, simplifies what Christianity is about at its core. He says that religion that is pure to God is “to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Religion isn’t about going to church every Sunday, singing songs, or praying enough prayers. While those things are good, true religion is God’s love for us overflowing into how we treat others, especially those who tend to be forgotten or overlooked. Jesus helped people whom society deemed unimportant. He gave relief to the sick, less fortunate, and outcasts. Why? Because Jesus had a soft heart that wasn’t tainted by the world’s standard of status. He saw everyone as equally deserving of love and care and treated them accordingly.

When you see someone in need, whether a stranger or a friend, take a second to see them independently of how the world may see them. Look at that person through Jesus’s eyes, seeing them as someone worthy of genuine love and care. Make an effort to serve someone you may usually overlook because that’s what James says “religion” is all about.