Religion (man's rules about how to reach God) can actually work to
people from God.
Religious traps:
Many religious people
miss out on knowing God because they think they don't need anything more
than their religion. They know about God but they
don't know God.
Jesus said religious people were like whitewashed tombs - looking
pretty good on the outside but inside full of death and filth. See Matthew 23.
Others are kept away from God because they think God is like the religious
people and want no part of Him. In Matthew 23, Jesus said that the religious
leaders put heavy burdens on people. Jesus said they refused to know God and
kept others from knowing Him.
Religion is about rules and resolutions and control. God is about
freedom and joy.
Freedom? I thought religion was thought control. Religion does involve
thought control. But God is not in the business of religion. Jesus said, "And
you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Knowing God means we have nothing to be afraid of.
Joy? I've seen more fun at the dentist's office than I saw the last time
I went to church. Remember, the religion that men have made
does not speak for God. Let God's Word speak for Him:
In Psalm 30:11, Israel's King David said it this way, "You (God) have turned
my mourning into dancing. You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with
joy."
And God is still speaking to His children today:
"Joy is the spontanious enthusiasm of your spirit when your soul is in communion
with the Lord" -
Dennis Jernigan