That's A Lot: Religion vs. Relationship [A series]

In today's society, many people turn to religion for comfort from all sorts of worries and problems in their everyday lives, but soon come to realize they are still in the same predicaments they were in, before they turned to religion. The sad thing is, religion will never fill in the gap for these many individuals, but only a relationship with God, will fill those gaps forever.

Religion (defined by dictionary.com):

A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

Religious people, or as I have heard it "Religious fanatics," would be classified by the world as someone who keeps to themselves, as everyone else is a sinner, and if they do keep anyone's company, the group are equally judgemental, and dismissive of God's True Words 'Love thy neighbor as yourself.' In anything you become a fan of, if becomes an obsession, distorting the simple joy God has given us, over-shadowing and becomes ritualistic, instead of simplistic.

Relationship (defined by dictionary.com):

1. A connection, association, or involvement.
2. Connection between persons by blood or marriage.

Now in having a relationship with God, it is not an obsession, or ritualistic. It doesn't have you praying at specific times of the day, or at specific directions either. No, it's [personal.] In having a personal relationship with God, you see Him for who He is in your life as God speaks to everyone personally. This is why religious people are stressed by living a life for God, because they are living a life that was meant for someone else, and not their own life with God.

I too fell victim to this when I first came to Christ. I was overwhelmed by how I thought I was supposed to live. Lead by the standards of how others were and lived. I wasn't aware of God being my personal God, and that I would learn to love Him, and see Him in every aspect of my life. I too, was worried with the way others were, and why I wasn't like them.

Worry [leads] to stress
Obsession [leads] to distortion

As Jesus shed his blood, the blood that gave Him life, He showed us that through His blood we would have an eternal relationship. That we were all His family forever.
God in the form of the Son (Jesus), allows us to know that we share His blood... In Christ, we are part of His bloodline. We are all brought together by Christ, therefore as He is God's son, we too, in Christ are all children of God.

Do not be fooled by religion, but allow a personal relationship to form into a tight unbreakable bond with God. Therefore, look to God's promises and His word and begin to embrace, live out and say this with all assurance “I am what the bible says I am, and I have what the bible says I have.”

Now, knowing that God is indeed our Father, and all that is His is our inheritance, you can definitely say "That's A Lot!."

No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord (Proverbs 21:30)