Is the World Corrupting You?

            What does…pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father…mean to you? Pure religion? Genuine religion? For that matter…what is religion to you? Religion is a system of beliefs and practices. Pure? Genuine? That to me speaks “holiness” unto the Lord.

Honor the LORD for the glory of his name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 29:2

 

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

A Rainbow of Love
From Heaven to Earth
Double reflection
Love from God to us...and from us to God

That is genuine religion. Love. To love God, and to love others. James tells us that this type of religion means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. When orphans or widows don’t have anyone else to care for them, we should. That is what the Foster Care program is all about. Kids—all kinds of kids—need to be shown love. That’s a challenge for most of us. We can give money towards the programs…and provide backpacks for them for school—but to bring them into our lives takes a real sacrifice and determination. I have not done that. Have you?

            Likewise, caring for true widows is admirable and could be a challenge, depending on the individual. Most people today have someone…some family…to care for them when they are left alone after their spouse dies. But, there are some individuals who are like widows due to a divorce situation and have no family. True widows are rare. Paul has some advice for caring for widows as he wrote to Timothy and the churches in which he ministered.

Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives. Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. But those who won't care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. 1 Timothy 5:3-8

Is the world corrupting you? Are you caring for family and friends who need your love and assistance? We are so easily distracted by the entertainment and sporting world today. How many people were watching the latest Seahawks game on Sunday? Obsessed. Fanatics. Are they “fans” of Jesus at the same level? Satan would have the world focus on anything but Jesus! Football. Basketball. Soccer. Lacross. Baseball. And then there’s YouTube that entertains us 24/7. Most people have some TV subscription that allows them to watch movies, sports, news, documentaries, or whatever, literally all day and all night. When I was growing up, the TV stations ended at ten or eleven o’clock at night. Take care that you do not allow the world to corrupt you—your thoughts, words, or actions. Stand firm in your belief in God. Refuse to let the world corrupt you.

 

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

 

Prayer – Lord, may You be glorified. I love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Protect me from the evil of the world and help me to share You and show Your love to everyone around me.

 

Meditate. Consider your love for God.

 

Verses of Salvation ~ This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God--who does not lie—promised them before the world began. ... Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. Titus 1:1-2, 15-16         

 

© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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