“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NLT)
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 ESV)
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27 NLT)
I may have shared this before, but I am sensing that I need to share it again. When I got married my intent was to raise my kids with a foundation of relationship, not religion. My goal was to allow religious expression to be an overflow of our relationship with God. I was determined that I would hand off Jesus, not “Christianity.” I am a “Christian,” and I practice my religion, however, the “religion” that I “practice” is not what makes me a child of God. Giving my kids Jesus, and letting them figure out the details with Him, was the cry of my heart.
After the fact, now that my children are adults, by default, not even knowing that I was doing it, I realize that I gave them far more religion than I did relationship. Rules, structure, does and don’ts, are so much easier to live by. Sadly they somehow received rules, regulations, expectations, and rituals that overpowered a simple child-like relationship with the One who gave his life for them. Don’t get me wrong, the Gospel was there. Relationship was there. It’s just that it was overshadowed by the organized structure of our religion.
They say hindsight is twenty-twenty. Fortunately it’s never too late to live, learn, and change. So now, from this point forward, with my kids as adults, my grandkids, and anyone I meet, my focus is on relationship. What will matter for eternity is my relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, my relationship with my family, friends, the Body of Christ, etc. Buildings will burn, but people will live forever.
My challenge to anyone reading this is that you take a closer look at how you are approaching your relationships in light of your religion. What are you communicating through your words, actions, and daily choices? Ponder…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 338: Focus On Relationship