Going Deeper for Life Change
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude ~ Colossians. 2.6.7
Who Are You ?
1. John the Baptist called upon the people of his time to prepare for the coming of
the Messiah. As we know that the Lord is returning again, how are you preparing for
His return? Are there any areas which need to be improved in light of the Second
Coming?
2. What godly attitudes and characteristics do we find in John the Baptist that we as
a Christian should imitate?
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The Folly Of Religion
by Noah Ressler
Every human being is religious. There is in the heart of everyone a vacuum that begs
to be filled. Because of our sinful nature, we try to stuff our souls with “things” or
“thoughts” to soothe the conscience. We all take avenues down a road that we are
hopeful will make us happy. With some it is success and making a lot of money.
Others try to find happiness in another person or an object such as a hobby. Some
lash out at others to do them harm for the harm they felt inflicted on them. Some
soothe the conscience through drugs or alcohol. Nonetheless, this is a very unhappy
world and to anchor our hopes and dream in this world is a huge gamble that is
always lost – we die and then what? Everything we have pinned our hopes upon has
vanished.
Therefore man has arisen to make religious systems to meet the needs of man. Man
works at trying to get close to God or appease Him in order to find acceptance and
meaning to life. That system can become a comfort zone and one may feel close to
God because of it. But even that leaves a person empty. What is the problem?
The problem is that men are introduced to Jesus Christ, the Creator and reject Him.
They are introduced to the way to God and yet reject the way that is through Jesus
Christ alone. This sounds very narrow, but that is a right response – it is narrow.
Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad
that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is
small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few that find it” (Mt.
7:13-14).
This is what the scribes and Pharisees and others did. “He came unto His own and
His own received Him not. That is a tragedy because they should have known better.
It is also tragic that someone would reject Christ because the way is shown through
repentance of sin and turning to Christ because He started and completed the work of
redeeming us to God by His own body at the cross and justifying us when He
resurrected from the dead.
However, the Jews at this writing ignored the very signpost that would lead them to
God and turned back to their own way and understanding, which led to eternal death
in hell. There is a way, which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death
(Pro. 14:12). They turned away from God’s messenger John the Baptist and rejected
his message that would lead to the Messiah that they were looking for.
We do the same thing. Because we do not understand, we turn away in disgust only to
find ourselves in the same condition before we heard the message. It takes humility
and honesty to look at ourselves and admit our guilt and sin before a holy God and
accept the free offer of acquittal before the bar of God’s justice through Jesus Christ
the Son of God. God’s wrath for our breaking His holy Law is appeased only in and
through the finished work of the Lamb of God - Jesus Christ, accomplished during
His sojourn on earth to die for the sins of His people. Look unto Him and be saved!
Religion or things will not save you. Faith in Christ alone will.
Where are you at? Do you like the comfortableness of organized religion that in the
end is no comfort but a false hope that is powerless and unable to change you? Jesus
said, “Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
There is peace and rest in Jesus Christ. But first, you must approach Him according
to the Scriptures on His terms – not yours. He would have you repent or turn from
your sin and look to Him alone as the satisfactory acceptance before God – for Christ
has shed His blood and died and resurrected from the dead in order that you may
have life and that abundantly. Religion will control you, but it will not help you. Jesus
is the way, the truth, and the life. All who come to Him He will in no way cast out, but
calls unto all men everywhere to repent. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the
earth; For I am God, and there is no other (Is.. 45:22)