Getting acknowledgment and appreciation for good works makes a person feel good. It motivates a person to do more. Sometimes people join organizations with good names in order to be associated with people in those organizations. It is not enough to want to be associated with an organization that has good names, without committing to doing what they do. In the same way, you should not just call yourself religious or a Christian just because you attend a church, but your lifestyle should show evidence of what you proclaim.
James provides three basic requirements for a person to call himself a Christian. Firstly, he needs to control his tongue, secondly, he needs to take care of those in need, and thirdly he needs to live a life that is free from corruption (James 1:26-27). You need to use your tongue to build and not to destroy. Don’t turn a blind eye to those in need, but visit them and do your best to help them out of their troubles. And lastly, You need to stay out of corrupt life. Unless you do these things, your religion or Christianity is regarded as worthless.
See what the scriptures say in
James 1:26-27 ESV (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.”
*Live a life that builds others*. From Simtandile Dlepuma. Stay blessed.