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.
Pure and undefiled religion is this…
Why would that be said other than to indicate that religion can be impure and defiled.
Last night, I laid in bed unable to sleep, with many thoughts running through my mind. I think about the Buddhist people offering their prayers and insense – trying to earn the favor of their God.
It seems so ridiculous, but don’t we do the same thing? How many times have we offered prayers to God or even sacrificed our desire for food in order to “earn” a favorable answer to our prayers.
We so often have this attitude that if we do something to please God that He will give us the answer we desire. Is that not just as foolish and meaningless?
Who is are we that God should do our bidding? Who is God in our eyes, that we presume we can earn His favor?
If this is our attitude, than our religion has been defiled just as the Israelites who worshipped the pagan God’s of their neighbors.
Pure religion is keeping ourselves without stains from the world. It is praying what the Father wants, and knowing He will answer the prayer because it is His desire – not because it is ours.
In order to pray what the Father wants, you have to know His heart. If we fast, it should be because we want to draw near to the Father and know His heart. Once we know His heart and pray what He desires, we can rest in faith that those prayers will be answered.
