Know God, No Religion

I think we messed up.  Really, I'm thinking that this whole religion thing is a step in the wrong direction. (And now a collective gasp from my family and church circle.) I believe that Jesus came to end religion and then we made a religion around him. Oops. In the gospels, there are a bunch of instances where Jesus corrects the pharisees for getting on him about “proper procedure”. There is a whole bunch of stuff in the new testament that leads me to think that Jesus was anti-religion.

I love my wife. We are married. I don't love her because of the ceremony. Do you see what I’m getting at? I choose to love her everyday regardless of how she acts or what I get in return. And she chooses to love me through all of my hang-ups and low points. The wedding was a symbol and public declaration of our love and commitment, but it is not the glue that binds us. So on the same note, God loves us and we accept the love and the grace. We publicly declare it and profess our love for Him but that declaration is not the reason we love him. There is a relationship going on.

God wants a relationship with you. He does not want your steps to be perfect. In the book, “End of Religion”, Bruxy Cavey illustrates this point a few different ways. My favorite was this: A husband decides to take his marriage to a new level and sets up a date with his wife on a Tuesday night. He calls the babysitter, makes a reservation at her favorite restaurant and comes home early. He surprises her by saying, “Baby, put on your best dress. I have the sitter coming over and we are going out.” She is elated. They get to the restaurant and sit at their favorite table. The husband pulls out a flower and a card saying all the sweet things a card like that should. The wife is just swept off of her feet and they have a great night. The husband feels good knowing he has pleased his partner. The next Tuesday he does the same thing. She puts on her dress, they sit at the same table at the same restaurant. He gives her the same flower and the same card. They go home and she is happy but a little weirded out. The following Tuesday, she's wondering if he is going to do the same thing.....and he does. Same time, same restaurant, etc. Now the incredible thought and sentiment are lost. The machine-like, repetitive steps have now taken a beautiful act of love and sort of flipped it to mindless busy work. The meaning is lost. The love is lost.

We do this with Jesus all day long. I can get up early and read scripture and pray everyday. And for the most part, that's a great habit to get into. However, my relationship with Christ is what makes my heart change. My relationship with Him is what counts. Those steps can lead me there, but they are not the reason I love Him nor are they the reason He loves me.