Where Does Religion Get You?

For almost 20 years after my first encounter with God, I tried to work and earn my way to God through religion.  My lack of exposure to church growing up left me thinking I had to earn my forgiveness.  I knew the answers to my problems were in the Bible, I didn't know how to get them out and I thought religion would help me.

Religion is notorious for instituting a set of rules that are to be followed out of obligation and guilt is the motivator that pushes us into obedience.  

For many years I tried to follow a religion and for many years I failed at it miserably.  I lived in a perpetual cycle of trying to do good and beating myself up when I messed up.  In my mind, everything about my relationship with God was based on how well I performed and how good I was at following the rules of my religion.  

Religion made God an obligation.  I was supposed to behave a certain way and meet a certain level of behavior without any kind of personal involvement.  I was under the impression that everyday people, especially bad people like me, weren't able to have any personal contact with God.  Only priests could do that.  But that is not true!

               Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding.

                              Proverbs 9:6 NKJV

Religion gave me a set of rules to follow without addressing the hunger in my heart for a lasting and personal relationship with God.  Following religion instead of following Christ is foolishness.  Religion cannot save you, it cannot heal you, and it most definitely cannot transform you.  Only Jesus Christ can do that!

Despite my struggles, my heart hungered for something more from God.  I sensed that I was missing something and I didn't know what that was.  I was constantly searching for that 'something' to satisfy my heart but nothing in this world could.

Religion told me God was impersonal.  My heart craved a deep and personal relationship with God.   I wanted more from Him than just a set of rules to blindly follow.  It took a series of events, both pleasant and unpleasant, to show me that God also wanted a personal relationship with me.  

Knowing God is not a religion, it's a covenant relationship.

The truth is that God does want a personal and intimate covenant relationship with you.  He knew you before He made the world and as He shaped you in your mother's womb, He knew the struggles and hurts you would encounter in this world.  So He planned to turn all your sorrows and heartaches into something good.  The Bible says it this way:  He will give you beauty for ashes and trade your mourning for joy.

               And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 

                              I John 5:20 NKJV

There is no other god besides The Lord God Almighty.  He is the maker of Heaven and earth and all that is within them.  He is the giver of life and His love is unbreakable and never ending.  He chose you to be His.  He called you by name and claimed you as His own long before you were born.  

God wants you to know Him. 

What you know about religion means nothing. But what you know about the Lord has the power to rock your world.

God is the only Person who can transform the pain of your past into a masterpiece of exquisite beauty. 

Jesus is the only One who can transform your heart, remove the weight of your burdens, and equip you with power to overcome anything that tries to tear you down.

Seek to know Who God is for yourself.  Let go of religion and pursue a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.  You'll be glad you did!

Heidirn

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