The Purpose of Religion

Cassandra was baptized in church on Easter in front of hundreds of cheering people.  Her testimony was amazing. She spoke of getting pregnant as a young teenager. She shared her struggles with shame, feelings of inferiority, and rejection. Then she testified how a stranger introduced her to Jesus but that she had not followed Him. She credited her husband with getting her involved with the right crowd of people who taught her what it means to pursue God. Now her life is on a heaven-honoring trajectory. She loves ministering to people and most importantly pursuing God.

​Meditation
1 Timothy 5:4--But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. (NIV) 
 
There are five different Greek words used a total of nine times in the New Testament that pertain to religion. They give us a clear understanding of the purpose of religion. Authentic religion involves caring for people, controlling our tongues, and living righteous lives.  
If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world (James 1:26-27).

P. Doddridge wrote in Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul: 
Religion, in its most general view, is such a sense of God on the soul, and such a conviction of our obligations to him, and of our dependence upon him, as shall engage us to make it our great care to conduct ourselves in a manner, which we have reason to believe will be pleasing to him.”

Henry Scougal in The Life of God in the Soul of Man observed “. . . true religion is a union of the soul with God, a real participation of the divine nature, the very image of God drawn upon the soul, or, in the apostle’s phrase, it is Christ formed within us.” William Gurnall taught in The Christian in Complete Armour, “Religion and duties of it are consecrated things, not made for thee to drink thy lusts out of.”

Cassandra models what religion is meant to be. It is all about pursuing a meaningful relationship with God by living in a way that honors Him. That is and always will be its purpose.  When we get this right, we are encouraged and we bless others . . . something to think about . . . in reveration.
 
Inspiration
If your religion does not make you a better man, it is a rotten religion.  The test of true religion is when it touches these four things—food, money, sex, and mother earth.  These things are the test of a right, sane life with God, and the religion that ignores them or abuses them is not right.—Oswald Chambers in Shade of His Hand   
 
©2022 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)