Pure and Undefiled Religion

November is National Adoption Month.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

I pray that, as the Body of Christ, each of us would have our eyes opened to the love that God has for the fatherless and his desire for us to be used in orphan care.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5

According to Family Life Today ministries, there are 130 million orphans in the world. From my own research there are over 120,000 available children in the foster care system in the United States.

As we are adopted into the family of God, his desire is to place "the lonely in families" through permanent adoption. Not everyone is able to adopt but there are many ways you, your group or church can be involved in orphan care:

prayer
sponsorship programs
financial support of existing ministries
adoption/ orphan ministry in your church
short term mission trips in orphanages in other countries
helping fund another family's adoption
adoption
opening an orphanage in a needy area
CASA-Court Appointed Special Advocate in your area
open your home to a foster child

If you need to have your heart softened for orphans I suggest taking a trip to an orphanage. Once you see those little faces and realize their need, it is difficult to turn away.

The funny part is when you first start caring for orphans you think about how you are helping them (and you are), but it will really be you that gets the blessing or I should say blessings. Your eyes will be opened to a whole new part of God's heart.

One place you can start is www.familylife.com . They are doing a whole week of broadcasts on adoption. Feel free to pm me and I'd be glad to talk.

Thank you for taking time to read this thread.

Your Sister in Christ,
TJ

bump

It was the passage in James that prompted my husband and me to adopt two of our children.

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As well in your daily life being a good influence. I know kids look forward to the short timings they see those of good stature (even bad). You can partially father a child through the limited contact you may have with them.

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"That goodness of Christ is in you and is a part of you, which all comes through just fixing our attention on Him. We are no longer human, new creations. From there, we can go from glory into glory. We must remove ourselves from the deception that we must somehow complete Christ's work by trying to display the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits come from the nutrients of Christ in which we must root our minds in Him."

Don't know if you are trying to troll in here, but you haven't taken things into context, nor have you posted any but your opinion. And if you are trying to bait, please go away, unless, of course you have something to contribute then you are more than welcome.

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"That goodness of Christ is in you and is a part of you, which all comes through just fixing our attention on Him. We are no longer human, new creations. From there, we can go from glory into glory. We must remove ourselves from the deception that we must somehow complete Christ's work by trying to display the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits come from the nutrients of Christ in which we must root our minds in Him."

thank you for this thread, it's an excellent reminder!

Virtualgirl-
Praise God for your two children. I know they are a blessing to your family and in your community.

LogosRhema-
Thank you for adding. Being a good influence around kids, especially ones without a dad in their life, is a very important way of ministering to youth. It is amazing how the simplest things can mean a lot!!!

Opinions usually have factual information behind them, otherwise its dust in the wind. I take it your not in college?

Try submitting any essay in to professor (other than creative writing) without sources and you'll find a wonder F.

Try a formal debate class without any sources, guess who will lose? Even a good speaker without sources in a debate class will lose.

And that my opinion is amazing, that's just that, I don't see anyone disagreeing. What I said earlier I was expounded further upon what the original poster posted.

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"That goodness of Christ is in you and is a part of you, which all comes through just fixing our attention on Him. We are no longer human, new creations. From there, we can go from glory into glory. We must remove ourselves from the deception that we must somehow complete Christ's work by trying to display the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits come from the nutrients of Christ in which we must root our minds in Him."

My faith isn't based on nothing. Our source is the Bible, been around for quite a while now and has been proven more with the test of time. Those who have tried to disprove have ended up proving it. Of course you don't hear much about that in this little mind society.

You must not know much about Christianity.

Trust me, our faith has sources, we didn't just make it up and here we are collaboratively somehow agreeing in a Christ lol

__________________
"That goodness of Christ is in you and is a part of you, which all comes through just fixing our attention on Him. We are no longer human, new creations. From there, we can go from glory into glory. We must remove ourselves from the deception that we must somehow complete Christ's work by trying to display the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits come from the nutrients of Christ in which we must root our minds in Him."