Pure Religion

Someone recently asked me what the “ja127” means at the end of our email address. I shared the following verse from the Bible with her: “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.” (NLT) This is found in James 1:27, thus “ja127.”

I chose that verse for two reasons. First, it defines how our organization began, by caring for orphans and widows. Second, because it gives laser focus to where our primary effort should remain as our organization expands its areas of support.

As I freshly pondered the verse I had to ask myself, “Why this? Why does God consider caring for orphans and widows to be pure religion?” Most people associate being religious with the second part of the verse, “refusing to let the world corrupt you.” I believe that pure religion is a practical religion that is willing to get its hands dirty and its heart broken. It is religion that focuses on what truly matters to God and becomes an expression of his love for a hurting world. Throughout the Bible God gives instructions on how to care for the poor and needy, the outcasts, the strangers, and the ones who have been rejected or abandoned.

The widows we support have not only suffered the loss of a husband but many have also been in abusive marriages beforehand. Extreme poverty and lack of employment create conditions that lead to alcoholism, addictions, abuse and abandonment by their husbands. Women are often left with no means of support, no skills to earn a living beyond the daily sale of small items, and no way to support their children. Additionally, statistics from 2023 show that over 50% of elderly widows in India are illiterate, further marginalizing them and limiting their ability to care for themselves. Our organization helps provide for their food, primarily, but also housing, medical care and literacy education as the need arises.

The orphans we support often come from these broken homes. In India they refer to orphans in two ways: those who have lost both parents and have no one willing or able to care for them, or those who have one or both remaining parents who are unable or unwilling to care for them. The latter are called “semi-orphans.” Through our partners we help provide food, housing and education along with clothing and medical care, as needed, for these children. Our goal is to provide a way out of the poverty cycle and to prepare them for employment, stable marriages and hope-filled futures.

When something is “pure,” it lacks nothing to make it complete.  In the same way, our “pure religion” includes the practical compassion displayed in God’s own heart and care for us.  As the missionary Bob Pierce said, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”

—Rebecca Pearce