“I didn’t realize you were so religious.”
People say this to me a lot. Someone said it to me on my wedding day when my husband and I took communion together at the altar. Another time, I said I could meet at noon after church. Or when I said I had to teach at youth group on Wednesday night.
My reply is always the same “Oh, I don’t consider myself religious. I have a relationship with Christ.”
I know how it sounds. Pretentious. That is not my intention with that response. It is to begin a conversation, just like the one we are having now.
I would like to share with you how I came to this conclusion of Relationship, rather than Religion. It is not simple, but bear with me.
I love words and writing, so I’ll give you some dictionary definitions.
Now let me be transparent. The church we see today is institutionalized. There are certain days we go to church (our country has it written into our week), and depending on your denomination, there are certain customs you adhere to.
So yes, I read the Bible, attend Sunday and Wednesday church regularly, and help lead worship. But do I NEED to do any of that to be saved? No.
Does attending church, surrounding myself with other believers, and praising God help me? Yes. It helps me grow my relationship with God.
My attitudes and beliefs are not institutionalized.
Stick with me.
Would you say that your relationship with your sister is exactly the same as your neighbor’s relationship with their sister? Or your and your spouse’s relationship, is it the same as your friends? No! You can argue it is, but there are even minute differences.
This is the same for God. Each and every person has (or will have) a unique relationship with God. Does the Bible give us direction, and guidelines to live our lives? Yes. But how God talks to us, corrects us, guides us, or interacts with us is different.
Let me give you an example…
When I was 19, I was living with my boyfriend, mad at my family, putting myself in dangerous situations, etc. If you read my previous post, you’d know my mom delivered a word from God to me about my eternal life. Within a couple of days, I had made drastic changes in my life.
But there was one area of my life I hadn’t given to God. I was still weak with my fleshly desires. Outwardly, I was doing everything right. Moving out of my shared apartment, breaking ties with friends who were more harm than good, and attending church and Bible study.
A spiritual mentor said to me, “Now you need to get baptized!” But God prompted me, saying, “You still have some things to take care of.” When I responded with “There are still somethings I need to do before I can get baptized.” My mentor’s response was “You don’t need to do anything else. That isn’t how it works.”
The institution of the church said “You are doing everything right. You can get baptized now!” Technically they are right, God wants you just as you are! Our flesh is what tells us we aren’t good enough, or we have to know more before moving forward with God.
But because I was building a relationship with God, He prompted me, “Not yet, I need you to submit everything to me.” Baptism wasn’t just a box to check for me. It was an outward expression of a commitment I was making to myself, the world, and God.
God knew how important my view of baptism was going to be before I even knew it! I was kept in alignment because of the time I spent with Him.
Religion doesn’t lead you to a gas station where the clerk needs to be reminded they are loved. Religion doesn’t move you to call a friend when you have been busy for a few weeks. Relationship does.
I have seen religion tear apart families, friends, and nations, and really hurt people. Relationship bring people together. There is love there.
This is why your relationship with God is so important. It is vital you know who He is by studying His word, discerning what is God and what is the enemy, and letting God guide you throughout your life.
The pressure religion places on you is relieved when you know what your job is: to be the light of the world, love your neighbor, tell people about Jesus, and live your life for God. With God.