Devotional 1/5

Devotional

James 1:26–27 ESV

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 moves to address what pure religion is. Jumping to verse 27 we see that pure and undefiled religion is caring for the orphans and the widows. To faithfully honor God, the Church must prioritize caring for the weakest amongst us. We see that this has been the theme of the Church for centuries. Hospitals, orphanages, caring for the sick during plagues, and rescuing unwanted children has been the mark of the Church since the time of the apostles. We see here that Christianity is a religion, and it is a religion that cares both for the soul and bodies of those inside and outside the covenant people.

Now we would expect that James would contrast this pure religion with some form of selfishness or lack of care, but that is not what James does. Instead in verse 26 we are told that worthless religion is primarily identified by the tongue. James says that if your religion is worthless if you cannot bridle the tongue. We see that the tongue is of vital importance. The Christian, the one chasing pure religion, is called to be someone with a contained tongue. We cannot let our tongues run loose, for if we do they will destroy not only those around us but it can also destroy our own religion.

Prayer

Holy Father,

Help us to be a people who tame our tongues. Grant us the ability to have clean and undefiled speech. Help us to help the most vulnerable in our society and to honor you with our religion.

In the name of your Son, we pray,

Amen

Catechism

Catechisms are a great tool to help us and our children learn the faith handed down by the apostles. I want to invite you to go through these questions with me, either by yourself and with your family. We will begin using the Westminster Smaller Catechism, though I am making small edits as I go. These can be used during family worship, car rides, or when going to bed. It is helpful to spend a week at a time working one question. Then as the weeks build up you will have memorized a large chunk of the catechism. They are in a question/answer format so a father could potentially ask their children these questions and the child respond with the answer.

Q.11 - What are God’s works of providence? A. 11 - They are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and ruling of all his creatures and all their actions.

Scripture Reference - Nehemiah 9:6

Memory Verse

We continue our memorization of the Psalms - starting up again with Psalm 2:1

Psalm 2:1 ESV

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

Reading and Songs

Please Add

Pastor’s Table

As we begin the new year, I get excited every year for beginning a new read through of the Bible. To practice daily reading of scripture and to work to read through the complete Bible is a worthy goal. Here is a link with resources for different reading plans.

https://www.ligonier.org/posts/bible-reading-plans

Benediction

Church, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you and fill you with peace.

Amen