What is true religion?

Most of us can agree there is only one God, one Creator of the universe, and maker of all humanity. Still, there are many believers that seem to be divided because of diverse religions or various denominations. It seems like there is a great partition among believers because some believe in different ways of worship or have traditions that differ from one religion to the other. But what does God’s word say concerning this matter? In the book of James chapter 1 verse 27 it says… 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. Many believe they can obtain God’s favor through acts of rituals and manmade traditions to gain the favor of our Maker, yet they lack the most important part of what it means to truly love God. What God wants from believers is to do what He commands us to do. What good is it if we say we love God, yet ignore his command to love our neighbor? Can we claim to be believers and ignore our neighbor when he is need? The bible says that there were men that claimed to be servants of God, yet when it came down to helping their neighbor they fell short. In Luke 13: 10-17 it tells of a time when Jesus was criticized because he performed a healing on a day that was supposed to be kept sacred, the Sabbath. During the Sabbath people were to hold it sacred by not doing any work, yet on that day Jesus walked by and saw a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years. His eyes were filled with compassion towards her; she lay there bent without being able to move, stiff and helpless. So Jesus did what he did when he saw people in need of deliverance, he put his hand on her and immediately she was healed. As soon as the rulers of the synagogue saw Jesus performing this miracle they said…There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not the Sabbath. It is plain to see that these men who were leaders in the church knew the law, they studied it every day, but they ignored the part where God says to love your neighbor as yourself. God wants us to obey certain commands or rules that will help us to help those who are in need of a friend; a person that is willing to do whatever it takes to help his neighbor when he is in need. After all, what is faith without deeds, can we claim to love Him and ignore a friend. No. If we are to be like God we ought to act as he did. He had compassion above all things and wanted us to be as He was, full of mercy. Proverbs 15:8 says…The Lord detests or hates the sacrifices of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases Him. God wants us to do His will by helping people who are unable to help themselves. He loves “all” His creation. We have formed divisions among ourselves by creating boundaries that separate us because of mere traditions or rituals, even though we all serve the same God. So if you see a friend in need don’t pass him by or look away, but reach out to him and show him the love of God, though your kind deeds. Be a friend to those who come into contact with you. After all, God let them close to you. It is His will to love them and show them His mercy through your acts of kindness. This is what God approves of as true religion, because God is love.