Religion

On more than one occasion over the last few weeks I have been in a conversation with someone who told me how much they dislike religion. "Religion causes problems," is what I would hear. And I agree. So many people are put off by religion, and so was Jesus. He was constantly trying to teach the religious leaders of His day that they had things all wrong. They were so concerned with following rules and criticizing people who didn't live up to their expectations- including Jesus. The religious people were the ones who ultimately killed Jesus.

I hope that this trip was not seen as a "religious" thing to do. I went because I know the Truth of salvation and to share the Love I have that comes only from Jesus. It's not about religion, it's about relationship. Jesus asks us to love Him and to love others. He doesn't ask us to be perfect, or to be something we are not. He takes us just as we are and as we get to know Him, spend time with Him, develop a relationship with Him, we become more like Him. Not more religious.

The religious leaders of Jesus' day were called Pharisees and they were always trying to challenge Him or catch Him doing something wrong. But Jesus warned against this type of living. Here are a few things He said about religious people from the book of Matthew:

"they preach, but they do not practice"

"they do all of their deeds to be seen by others"

"hypocrites"

"blind guides"

"they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others"

So what should religion look like? There are instructions in Romans 12:

"Let love be genuine

abhor what is evil

outdo one another in showing honor

rejoice in hope

be patient in tribulation

show hospitality

bless those who persecute you

do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly

never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God"

I know this may just seem like rambling, but there is a difference between being religious and being a follower of Christ. As I mentioned earlier, Jesus takes us just as we are and that makes His gift extraordinary. "I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." 1 Timothy 1:12-15 He came to save the sinners, not the religious. I know I'm grateful!