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Embracing a Deeper Connection with God

When you hear the word “religion” what comes to mind? It might be the thought of a church with traditions, rules, or rituals that people follow. For some, religion might feel more like a checklist of things to do, things a church has taught us, things to keep us on track or in good graces with God. But if we give it some thought, we should ask ourselves – “What does God really want from me?”

This is an important question because it’s about what it means to follow Christ. So instead of saying religion or relationship, it’s more about religion and relationship because they are both part of the same journey. They are different but they should work together.

Religious Routines

In its simplest form, religion is an organized system of beliefs and practices that we follow as we come together around a shared faith. We have a sense of belonging and our religion gives us structure and guidelines. But sometimes religious structure can overshadow what God wants from us. Jesus talked about how the Pharisees were so focused on following the letter of the law that they missed the spirit behind it. Jesus said in Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” NIV.

We, as believers, can also get caught up in religious routines, we might go through the motions like attending church because it’s what we’ve always done, or how we pray, or our routine for reading scripture…it becomes a habit, and we may miss the relationship that God wants to have with us.

Building Relationship

If we ask the question of what God wants from us,  the simple answer is a relationship, not just routine actions or observances where we just go through the motions. He wants our hearts, our minds, and our souls.

Giving God our hearts is more important than ritual. Jesus tells us about the two greatest commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:37-39, NIV.

Even though the practices of our religion may be to attend church weekly and follow certain rituals, we have to remember that the foundation of our faith is our relationship with God. His command to us is to love…love God and love others.

The Heart of Relationship

The advantage of a relationship with God is that it’s personal. He walks with us through the ups and downs of life, He is our comforter, our guide, and our closest friend.

The close relationships that we have with others are built on trust, communication, and love. We spend time with the people we care about, and we don’t do this because we have to, we do this because we want to. Our relationship should be like this with God. We don’t come to Him out of obligation, but out of our love for Him and His love for us.

Going to church, praying, and reading scripture all help us grow in faith but they don’t replace our relationship with God.

Balancing Religion and Relationship

When we say that religion is a duty, we should see it as an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God. So, though we honor and observe certain practices, there are ways we can make sure we build that close relationship with God.

  1. Make Time for God: Just like any relationship, our relationship with God requires time and attention. Set aside time each day to pray, read Scripture, and simply be in God’s presence. This is a time of connection, not just a religious duty.

  1. Engage Your Heart: When we pray, we don’t just go through the motions. We should engage our hearts and have an honest conversation with God. He already knows what we’re going through, so there’s no need to hide. We can share our joys, our struggles, and our doubts with Him.

  1. Focus on Love: Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God and love others. This can be the motivating force behind everything we do. When our actions come from love, and not obligation, we’ll have a better relationship with God.

  1. Find Community: Religion brings us together as a community of believers. We should surround ourselves with people who will encourage us and walk beside us in our faith journey. Church, Bible studies, and small groups are ways to connect with others who share our faith.

  1. Pursue Balance: Our spiritual growth comes from balancing religion and relationship. We should let our religious practices support and strengthen our relationship with God.

Moving from Religion to Relationship

It’s not about our religious performance; God wants our hearts. He wants us to know Him, and to love Him; we should have a genuine relationship with Him.

Let’s consider if our faith is driven by just religion or do we have a close relationship with God. If we feel caught in religious routines, we can know that God is inviting us into a deeper relationship of love, trust, and connection. We can pray that our actions will help us grow closer to Him