AUTHENTICITY

A transparent, contrite heart is what God longs to hear from. To authentically love God, or another, we must speak the truth, we must be willing to open up and pour out our hearts to Him, and to those we love. If we love God, we listen and obey God. If our relationships are authentic, then the contents of our heart, our hearts cry, our invisible, unspoken motives match up with our visible actions. All talk and no action does not please God. “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” The test of a true religion is when our heart breaks for what breaks the heart of God. When our hearts are convicted to DO something for people that have no way of repaying us for what we do, we are giving with a pure heart. "Test my heart O God, and reveal to me that which needs to change." The brother of Jesus did not believe that Jesus was God in the flesh until the resurrection.

James 1:27 "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." God hates religion that is merely an outward appearance. He calls those who sit in church for show, white washed tombs. God hates pride. A person who reads the bible but never cares for the alien, the widow, or the orphan is seen by God as a hypocrite. God loves a pure, transparent heart that obeys His word and makes His love known in the world by compassion and kindness. In the Old Testament we find a special trinity of what concerns the heart of God. Our holy Father repeats His concern for the “alien, the widow and the orphan.” The alien is a person not of our culture, a Mexican. The widow is a person without a helpmate. The orphaned child survives believing they are unwanted.

God desires that we, His chosen, make known by our actions, not just our words, that the alien, the widow, and the orphan are wanted, cherished and loved by God. Our Father commanded the nation of Israel in how they were to treat the forgotten members and what would happen if they chose to neglect them. Because God has a special place in His heart for all of us, He promises to:  vindicate them  rescue them  deliver them  hear them  lift them up  be their father  meet their needs  maintain their cause… READ Matthew chapter 25:36-37 A contrite heart does not simply visit the forgotten, but that a pure heart hurts to see others in need:  you hang out and visit and show compassion  you nurture, you hug  you authentically care by raking leaves, doing dishes  you loved by bringing groceries  you provide encouragement and a good listening, compassionate ear. It is actually reaching out to someone and truly caring, and taking care of their needs. The mark of a true AUTHENTIC believer is their

unselfish love for someone else. 1 John 3:10-11, 16-18. Why single out Orphans and widows? Jesus’ mother was a widow and He showed us His concern for her well-being. John 19:26-27 Communicating love requires that we embody Love, that our hearts are pure and that we speak out of that overflow of God's love. Being transparent like Adam and Eve before the fall, is to be pure hearted, naked and unashamed. (Genesis 2:25) To be without disguise or a need to hide or cover up anything is to be transparent with God, and with those you care about. After the fall people hid their insecurities, their doubts and fears with half-truths, deceit, lying, and hatred. The fear of rejection keeps people from being real, from opening up, from admitting their weaknesses. To be authentic, we must be bold, and NOT afraid. When we present our authentic, vulnerable self to another, they respond, they open up, and they receive the message "God loves you, just the way you are, and He sent me here to love you by meeting a few basic needs."