Jesus Christ is Not a Religion

November 10

Religion tries to convince us that if we live a certain way and practice certain things, we can have the life we want and know God. Religion says attend church, have a quiet time, pray, read your bible, and have a small group, just to name a few. Do all this, and you will know God, and He will make your life good and pleasing. Don’t get me wrong, these are all great things, but on their own, it is just a set of principles. Not to mention that God’s idea of good and my idea of good are often very different. We all have ways that we manage life. Tools that help us get what we want out of life. For some, it is peace that we desire, above all else. For others, it may be control. For most of us, we just want to be happy. For most women, when our closest relationships are strong and fulfilling, we are content. When we put our hope in the success of our most intimate relationships, we are destined for disappointment. We will try to attain all the skills and gain all the wisdom to succeed and expect others to do the same. It is easy to think that our marriage’s highest goal is to master all these skills and insight to attain an intimate and fulfilling relationship. Our hope remains in each other’s ability to meet each other’s needs and satisfy our expectations. Only Jesus can meet all our needs. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. Religion convinces us that human techniques are the answer. We put our hope in the methods of religion rather than in the power of Christ in us. Jesus Christ is not a religion. Jesus Christ is a person. We need to learn how to rely on Christ in us. Pause, rest, and trust in the reality of Christ in you.