Religion vs Relationship.
Last week in Haiti my non-believer (yes, a non-believer) roommate made a comment about “you religious” people. It wasn’t a off handed remark, it was more of a compliment to his team members. We were talking about why we were in Haiti and he said he wanted to do “something different” and serving people in Haiti with us “religious folks”. That’s different for sure. I got to speak with him a lot last week. In fact that night I felt like I needed to clarify something with him.
See there are those who “believe” and those who “follow” Jesus Christ. Believers attend church on a weekly basis, maybe join a small group or bible study. But most likely God is not a regular part of their day Monday through Saturday. They go out of need. It makes them feel like they’ve done their “Godly duty”. And they may even tell you that exact phrase. But ask them to go on a mission trip to a country like Haiti and serve other people is most likely way out of their comfort zone. Their prayer language would tend to be more “self” edifying and tailored to whats in it for “me”. (I know I was once there).
A follower on the other hand is immersed in seeking God’s heart. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus was asked which were the greatest commandments, his response was: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” God talks about LOVE extensively in the bible. Love is a very emotional word that is tied to the core of who we are. We ALL seek to be loved and to love. Love is about relationships. A loving and nurturing relationship between Father and son or daughter.
So ask yourself who you are in the Lord, are you merely a believer or are you a follower? An active participant in your walk with Jesus. I personally enjoy a loving relationship with my Heavenly Father, one that I pray that you will have one day too.
I struggled with putting God in my day to day life. I once asked my Pastor that exact question.. how do I immerse myself into God without being in full time ministry. Owning a business, the demands of a family and just every day “life”. How do you do that? He offered me a book to read, and I recommend you read this book as well. It’s called In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. Its group of testimonies of people who accepted a challenge from their pastor on a Sunday morning and how it transformed their lives over a period of time. It revealed a lot to my heart and I pray it does for you as well.
