If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 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 1:26-27
It takes a lot of work to look good. Entire industries are built around the pursuit of looking good. Most would agree that looking good and being good are two different things. An apple can look good on the outside, but it can be filled with worms on the inside. A tomb can look clean and noble on the outside, but death lives on the inside. How do we know what’s inside?
This is what the tongue does for our souls: it lets out what’s on the inside.
James tells us that while some look quite religious, their tongue betrays them. Religion is an effort to connect to God. No matter how earnest and zealous we may appear for this connection (attending church gatherings, reading our Bibles, attempting to engage in all sorts of spiritual practices), if our words do not align to our displays of religiosity, our religion is meaningless.*
If we want to connect to God, He says, “be like me.” What does that look like? For starters, God says this about Himself:
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
Psalm 68:5The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Psalm 146:9
God takes care of the widows and orphans. Why? Historically, widows and orphans have been the most vulnerable of society.* Without support, they have no hope. God takes care of them, and as His hands and feet, we must also. This is pleasing to God.
Our attempts to connect to God rest on the reality that He first connected with us through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ related to the needy around Him, instructing us that when we help the “least of these,” we do it unto Him (Matthew 25:40-45).*
Secondly, attempts to connect to God that please Him include serving in the world (especially to widows and orphans as stated), but not living as a part of its ways.* Followers of Jesus are a people on a mission to spread the Good News and make disciples. This is a culture-transforming task that involves influencing our space and not being influenced by it. God has no time for religion that takes on the sins of its culture.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to look for and help “the least of these.” Perhaps today God wants you to reflect on what you attempt to portray versus what comes our of your mouth. Maybe today God wants you to shift from “influenced” to “influencer.”
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Blomberg, C. L., & Kamell, M. J. (2008). James (Vol. 16, pp. 93–96). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. H. (2006). James. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 228–229). Zondervan.
Stulac, G. M. (1993). James (Jas 1:26–27). IVP Academic.
Moo, D. J. (2021). The Letter of James (D. A. Carson, Ed.; Second Edition, pp. 125–127). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Nystrom, D. P. (1997). James (pp. 96–98). Zondervan Publishing House.