The flimsy coat of religion

Religion is a flimsy covering; a convenient coat to wear in times of trouble or significant family occasions. Births, school, marriage, sickness and death are some of the reasons people retain a link with a church however tenuous it may be. God though, is not like the roadside assistance the AA offer. You know the sort of thing; pay a premium and when trouble happens they will come to your rescue regardless of weather conditions. God cannot be treated like that. He will not fit into our space content to be a foul weather friend who is discarded like a willing helper you forget about as soon as you have used him for your own purposes.

We relegate God to a place of secondary importance in our lives and the truth for most is stark –that is where we want to keep him. The idea that God should rule our lives and tell us what to do is an enemy to be resisted. We want our own independence, our self-rule seeing little room for him in the running of our lives. Submission to God is seen as extreme, a form of religious slavery (even though the opposite is actually the case) It is in submitting to God that we find real freedom.

Jesus offers a closeness that is real and meaningful. In Mathew 11 he says; 

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give yourest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls”

We can live our lives now with the god of our own making and organise the god bits in a way that suits us but a day is coming when our ego-centric lives will come under the sharp focus of judgement by the one we presently reject.

“For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”