26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 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.
- When is your tongue like a bucking bronco?
- Why is controlling your tongue so important?
- Why is it easy to be deceived about being religious?
- What is your first thought when you hear "religion"?
- What is God's definition of "religion"?
- How religious are you?
I've been trying to figure out what a bridled tongue would be defined as in my life. Is it limited to not gossiping, slandering, complaining, lying or swearing? Does it include saying that I will do something and not get around to doing it? Can it include typed words that suggests that I have it together and am righteous? Is it not talking religion, Bible, church, and judging others when I should be doing? Perhaps many of us like the comfort of limiting our Christianity to the few hours a week in a church building instead of dealing with the hurting people around us. How true is your religion?
4 comments:
i don't know what my religion is as of the moment--i even say i am not religious just so i won't get caught up in some spiritual discussion re the existence of god or hell--i lost the religion because i was raised in a "god-fearing home". (translation: abusive and manipulative use of "god") i finally said i am done believing in god because if this is your god and your religion, then i'd rather have none. now i think i believe in a religion that recognizes the god within. that when we ask god for help, this is the god that allows us to help ourselves out of the human earthly messes we created. i don't know anything--i'm searching for peace because of this, and i suppose searching for peace is my own religion--but god it is hard to let go of hurt and pain, it's hard to accept, it's hard to stop asking why.
@anonymous: Thanks for your comments. I get VERY annoyed when people attempt to use God for their selfish purposes. The one that annoys me the most is the abusive husband who uses Ephesians 5:22-24 to demand a submitted wife and ignores the verses before and after it. (Eph. 5:21-32) I've known of people who have a hard time accepting God as a loving father because their physical father was abusive. That just such a shame.
I suppose each of us are hurting, some more than others. I have long standing hurts that I no longer expect to be rid of in this life. I find that I need to put my hope in something/someone bigger and more permanent than just me or my things. I am growing in my hope in God. I have a growing peace in knowing that as ugly as life is here there is something so much better waiting for me. I looked at hope previously in my blog. Perhaps there are passages there that will help. I'll pray that you find your peace and that God will draw you closer to him.
harold, thank you for taking the time to reply to my comment(s). they are very kind and generous (and helpful) as is your entire blog. i re-visited some of the posts that have struck me as particularly insightful or that seem to point out something to me that was hidden or perhaps I avoided because it confused or conflicted with my own (inescapable) experiences. reading these posts, i feel as if the god i have known was a man-made one, who is entirely different from this one you know and share with us. these are resonant posts and I will keep returning. thank you for your prayers--i wish you well and will remember you in my own
Anonymous, I grew up believing God was a somber, stoic, and distant Creator who merely tolerated my existence. The religion I knew lacked love and understanding but was full of law, harsh judgement, and fear. Looking back, I know that in the absence of truth, lies filled the vacuum. The God I feared was a man-made concoction, sent by spirits who seek to destroy me. Now, the real God reveals His love and compassion to me through the truth in His word. Three steps forward and two steps back, I'm learning to listen to God's descriptions of Himself instead of man-made descriptions of God. You are not alone. I am praying that God will open the eyes of your heart to see who He really is, on His terms. The God I thought I knew back then didn't care about my pain, but the One who shows me His tender heart touches and soothes my pain. He knows your pain, and He wants to be your Healer, just as He has been my Healer too.
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