Pure Religion!

Pure and undefiled religion before
God and the Father is this:
to visit orphans
and widows in their trouble,
and to keep oneself unspotted
from the world. 

James 1:27 NKJV



 

 

Did just reading that verse make you feel convicted like it did me???  If you have been reading my blog very long, you know that whatever is in my mind gets on this blog!  (I guess that is the luxury of having one.)  I have a reason I want to share this with you.  My daughter and I were sitting in the doctor's office the other day when I was reading the information below.  I almost started crying so my daughter had to know what I was reading.  When I read it to her, she was just heartbroken!  Since that day, she has prayed for food and homes for orphans during our morning Bible time.  We can live in our perfect, little bubble sometimes and I think the Holy Spirit popped mine.   

 

Here are some startling statistics! (All of these statistics came out of the book, Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker.)

-Of the 6 billion people on the planet, 1.2 billion live on $0.23 PER DAY.

-Half of the world's population live on $2 PER DAY.

-If you make $35,000 annually, you are in the top 4 percent.  If you make $50,000 annually you are in the top 1 percent.

-Someone dies of hunger every 16 seconds......EVERY 16 SECONDS.

-27,000,000 children and adults are trapped in slavery. (Sex slaves, labor slaves, child soldiers, child slaves)

-More than 143,000,000 children in the world have been orphaned or abandoned.  (FYI: This is half the population of the U.S.)

-Roughly 1 billion people in the world do not have suitable housing, and 100 million are entirely homeless.

In the last hour:

-1,625 children were forced to the streets by the death of a parent or abuse of an adult.

-115 children became prostitutes

-66 children under the age of 15 were infected with HIV.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE CRYING YET?

What about babies who are in the mothers womb?  If the parents have decided to abort the baby, wouldn't you consider the baby an orphan, because it has no parents to care for it?

-There are approximately 300,000 abortions in the U.S.A. every year. (That would equal about 53 million since Roe v. Wade in 1973.)

If we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus, it requires more than being a good church member.  We have to take our resources, abilities, and talents and use it to bring justice and meet needs for those who can't do it themselves.  At this moment, I can't hop over to Africa or India and minister to the beautiful orphans there, but there are some things I can do locally.

Coming up shortly, my daughters and I are going to the Hope Center (Pregnancy Crisis Center) to volunteer. (My girls are ready to now!)  Samaritan's Purse is beginning this year's Operation Christmas Child, where they collect shoe boxes filled with gifts for children all over the world.  (This is probably one of our favorite projects!)  Many churches in our area collect boxes for O.C.C.  This is something any family or organization could easily do. (If you aren't familiar about any of these ministries and would like some details about how you can get involved, send me an email at terabill6@gmail.com.  I will get you some information.)

Until this week, I had forgot about our local Christian Care Center. This ministry does operate all year long, but during the Christmas season they collect gifts for needy children in our area.  A Bible is placed in every family's gift set.  (I was told by the Director of this project that they are extremely low on Bibles and gifts.)  The very cool opportunity that they offer is for volunteers to meet with the clients who come to pick up the gifts.  You get to share about Jesus, one on one, and your children are welcome to come and serve with you.  How cool is that!

I do not want to forget that James 1:27 says we must take care of widows as well.  I have seen my parents take care of both of their widowed mothers.  (One is remarried, and the other has gone to be with the Lord.)  They were so giving and selfless.  I also have great in-laws, who are also my pastors, who selflessly take care of many widows in our church.  What great examples of what James considered to be pure and undefiled religion!  Hopefully, I have learned from them.  

There are multiple things for us to do, we just need to get in action! 

       

He who oppresses the poor

reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has

mercy on the needy.

Proverbs 14:31

 

 

For I was hungry and you gave Me food;

I was thirsty and you gave Me drink;

I was a stranger and you took Me in; 

I was naked and you clothed Me;

I was sick and you visited Me;

I was in prison and you came to Me.’  

“Then the righteous will answer Him,

saying, ‘Lord, when did we see

You hungry and feed You,

or thirsty and give You drink?   

When did we see You a stranger

and take You in,

or naked and clothe You?   

Or when did we see You sick, or in prison,

and come to You?’   

And the King will answer and say to them,

‘Assuredly, I say to you,

inasmuch as you did it to

one of the least of these My brethren,

you did it to Me.

 

Matthew 25:35-40

I heard about Visiting Orphans on an E-course I am taking.  I love what they do and just felt like someone needed to hear about them!  If you are interested in Missions, you should definitely click on the link above and go watch their promo video.  Have a great Tuesday!