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Ritualistic Religion – Part 3

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Before leaving the subject of 'ritualistic religion,' here are two more questions:

1. Am I growing weary of pursuing spiritual growth? Speaking of the Pharisees, Jesus said, 'They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders...' (Matthew 23:4). 'What is boundary-marker religion?' you ask. Stephen Mosley writes, 'Our morality calls out rather feebly. It whines from the corner of a sanctuary; it awkwardly interrupts pleasures; it mumbles excuses at parties; it shuffles along out of step and slightly behind the times... it is often regarded by our secular contemporaries as a narrow, even trivial, pursuit.' Then he captures the essence of boundary-marker religion in these words, 'Tragically, conventional religious goodness manages to be both intimidating and unchallenging at the same time.' Intimidating - because it may involve 101 difficult rules about so-called spirituality. Unchallenging - because we may exhaust ourselves trying to keep all these rules, yet never experience the true joy Jesus offers. This is why people inside the church so often get weary. Conforming to boundary-marker religion is simply not a rewarding enough experience to fill the void in our hearts

2. Am I measuring my life in superficial ways? When asked, 'How is your spiritual life going?' what is the first thing that comes to mind? Prayer? Bible reading? Church attendance? Tithing? Good answers, but they are by no means the whole story. Jesus said, '...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full' (John 10:10). Nothing attracts the spiritually hungry and hurting, like someone who lives the 'Christ-life.' So, are you living it?

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me focus on how you define spiritual growth. Help me each day to be more and more like you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen