She had known religion. She had gone to church, read her Bible some, and prayed. That was several years ago. Over the past few years, she had strayed away from Christianity, as she knew it. She took a philosophy course and the first seeds of doubt were planted. How could anyone say that Christianity was the only possibility? What about all the other religions out there? And what about the fact that a lot of the people she knew who didn't go to church, seemed more "religious" than the ones who did? She had read books and had conversations that had firmly planted the doubts in her heart.
She sat there in front of me, with her bag of doubt, confusion and uncertainty. The recent storms of life had left her broken and hurting, seeking honest answers and not sure where to find them. As I listened to her skepticism and rejection of the Scripture I had given her in our previous conversation, I prayed silently as she spoke. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit made it very clear that she was not talking about the same thing that I was.
Like many of us, who may have rejected Christianity or may even have been "doing church" for years, all she knew of Christianity was RELIGION.
Religion is focused on outward appearances. It is about earning your way to God, through works(how "good" we can be by going to church, doing Bible studies,etc.). It is rules oriented. It is shallow and surface. It is how the Pharisees(teachers of the Law and religious leaders of Jesus' day) were living. It is the very thing that Jesus spoke against. He did not come to make us more religious, He came to bring us back into RELATIONSHIP with Him.
Relationship is developed internally, from the heart. It is based on a deep and intimate knowing of our Savior. It is not based on what we do, but on grace that comes by faith. Like any earthly relationship, it is deepened over time. The more time we spend with Him, the more we know Him. It is the very thing that our hearts were made for. We may try to find it in other places, in other things and even in other relationships. But anything other than a meaningful relationship with Him, is going to eventually leave us disappointed, confused and empty.
This relationship begins and is grown through three things:
1)a surrendered heart 2)honest prayer and 3)an uncluttered mind.
Christianity is the only RELIGION that offers this kind of RELATIONSHIP. All others are based on living a perfect life, works, and doing good in order to attain any hope of a relationship with the Creator. That is why Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me". All of Scripture is a story of how important having relationship with us is to God. From the beginning to the end, God is continually pursuing and rescuing His people. Over and over, He tries to get them(and us) to understand His love for us. Over and over, we don't get it. We cling to a false gospel, we hold tightly to rocks when He is waiting to give us diamonds. Finally, He came to earth to restore that relationship with us through His Son, Jesus.
But love isn't love if you force it on someone. It is not love if you "make" someone love you. God loved us enough, that He gave us free will. We all have been given the choice. He's not asking you to choose religion, He is asking you to choose relationship. When we choose to let go of the doubts and false hopes that are clouding our minds and hearts, and we choose to surrender our hearts to Him, our lives will never be the same. We have entered into the very relationship we were created for. We have been found. The emptiness is filled.
So if you have been looking at church, Scripture and even life through the lens of religion, it is time to put on some new glasses. See Christianity for what it was meant to be. With this new perspective, understand that He does not want your religion, He wants your heart. Will you give it to Him?
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