Wednesday, May 13, 2009

THOUGHT: Rules & Relationships



Can this mystical talk of having a relationship with God really work? Is it possible to be trusting and talking to Jesus? Does that happen after I follow the rules, before I follow the rules, while I am following the rules?

What rules?


You know, all the things the Bible tells us to do.

What might those be?


Like doing good things, avoiding evil, being kind to the poor, reading your Bible, praying and going to church. Things likes that.


Do we do those things to get the relationship? to grow the relationship or instead of the relationship? When we don't do those things should we just keep feeling guilty and trying harder? Is that it? Just push through the hard stuff? It is hard to sustain that level of motivation.


That is not what the Bible teaches.


Pardon?

The Bible doesn't teach you to follow rules. It is a picture of Jesus. While words may tell you what God is like and even what he may want from you, you cannot do any of it on your own. Life and living is powered by Jesus. You cannot live a life of righteousness on your own. That is achieved only through a relationship with Jesus.


Well frankly, it is a lot easier to follow rules and principles than it is to have that kind of weird relationship. It is not like hanging out with your friends or even talking with your mentor.

Relationships do not have a guaranteed outcome or plan or path.
It is true relationships are a whole lot messier than rules, but rules will never give you answers to the deep questions of the heart and they will never love you. Religion is about having the right answers, and some of their answers are right. But the Holy Spirit is about the process that takes you into understanding itself, into truth and that truth changes you from the inside out.

g-ram

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