TOPIC: The Heart of God
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, NIV
Joel Osteen Daily Devotional 8 August 2020 Message
In Luke 10, Jesus told a parable about a priest who didn’t stop to help an injured man. After all, he might get his white robe “unclean” and have it interfere with his religious duties. He had all kinds of excuses. But true religion gets dirty. True religion doesn’t hide behind stained glass or fancy clothes. It goes to where the needs are.
When you get down low to lift somebody up, in God’s eyes, you can’t get any higher. The closest thing to the heart of God is helping hurting people. Don’t be a passerby who’s too busy in your career. Don’t just be someone who feels sorry for others. God is counting on us. When you take time to restore the broken, encourage them, wipe away their tears, let them know that there are new beginnings—that’s the religion Jesus talked about. True religion doesn’t judge people to see if they deserve our help.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that Your heart is to help hurting people. Help me to have Your heart and not be so busy that I don’t stop to help others. I want to encourage others, to offer them my help, to speak a kind word, and to lift them up when they are hurting. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Joel Scott Osteen is an American pastor, televangelist, and author, based in Houston, Texas. Osteen has been called the “most popular preacher on the planet” and is often listed as one of the most influential religious leaders in the world.
