I’ve always heard it said that the attainment of earthly pursuits never truly satisfies, that no matter how rich you get, the riches can’t satiate the hunger that’s deep inside. Well, I’ve agreed and said same to others but you know what, I’ve never had ‘more than enough’ money, so I can’t say I’ve spoken from an experiential knowing.
Yesterday, though, I got a taste of that emptiness that comes after reaching a goal that is shallow.
What is religion?
It is “the belief in a god or in a group of gods. : an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods”(Webster’s dictionary). According to Wikipedia, “Many religions may have organized behaviours, clergy, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, holy places, and scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include rituals, sermons,…. prayer, music,….public service or other aspects of human culture.”
So what makes Christianity different from the hundreds of religions?
Humans have a general desire to belong and to love, which is usually satisfied within an intimate relationship. I live in a part of the world where intimacy, even in marriage, is not common. Spouses live in their own worlds and come together just to talk about the children or issues with the home, or to have sex…..and even that is,
I have a child who has an interesting, but annoying, habit: when she is told to do something, she abandons what she was told to do and does something else or even several other things that are good but are not what was asked of her. For instance, I’d say, “Tidy up your room” and instead of doing just that, she’d wash and put away the dishes, clean the cooker and wipe the kitchen counter. To her,
Many folks don’t really pay attention to the lyrics of a song they’re listening to. They enjoy the music, perhaps pick up a repeated phrase here and there, but don’t really sit to listen to and think about the words being sung…..the message of the song. Yet, the words of songs do have a tremendous effect on our thought processes which affect our words and actions.
Worship is primarily an intimate love relationship between God, the Creator, and us, His creation. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). In other words, we simply respond to the revelation of the amazing love He has for us which He manifested when He sent His Son to die on the cross for our own sins.
Love and obedience are intertwined in our relationship with God. If we just obey without love, that is not worship that’s acceptable to God. Our obedience should be a natural overflow or outcome of our love for God. Little wonder when He was asked which was the greatest commandment, Jesus responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect).” (Matthew 22:37, Amp). Something else He said was, “If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.” (John 14:15, Amp)…
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