Our college ministry, er, young adult ministry (we're trying to not sound so inclusive) had a really good service last night. The topic was on "faith vs. religion" and how sometimes Christianity takes the form of things we "have to" do or else we're not a good Christian. We feel as though Jesus will love us more if we ________ (read our Bible everyday, pray for an hour, etc.). We forget the simplicity of Jesus died for us - end of story. We tend to take on all of problems, feeling that God somehow needs OUR help instead of leaving our worries, needs, etc. with Him. All of this is not faith but religion. Faith in its simplest form is belief. It's knowing what God says and believing He'll do it...because that's what He says.
I'm guilty of trying to "help" God. I get tired of waiting on Him to answer me and try to do things on my own. The only thing this accomplishes is that not only am I tired of waiting but I'm now frustrated because I CAN'T do it on my own. I find that often times I need to do daily (and sometimes minute by minute) surrender my life to God. I have to stop trying to do EVERYTHING and rest in the fact that God is genuinely concerned with me. For me, faith is more than an act - it's a lifestyle. It's choosing to live each day with the confidence that God has a plan, even though things at the moment might not make sense. It's knowing everything will truly be ok. It's whole-heartedly embracing Jeremiah 29:11. It's knowing that NOTHING can separate me from God and seeking refuge in that fact.
I'm guilty of trying to "help" God. I get tired of waiting on Him to answer me and try to do things on my own. The only thing this accomplishes is that not only am I tired of waiting but I'm now frustrated because I CAN'T do it on my own. I find that often times I need to do daily (and sometimes minute by minute) surrender my life to God. I have to stop trying to do EVERYTHING and rest in the fact that God is genuinely concerned with me. For me, faith is more than an act - it's a lifestyle. It's choosing to live each day with the confidence that God has a plan, even though things at the moment might not make sense. It's knowing everything will truly be ok. It's whole-heartedly embracing Jeremiah 29:11. It's knowing that NOTHING can separate me from God and seeking refuge in that fact.
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