Religiosity and the Church

The online dictionary said that Religion is...

• the belief in and worship of ...God

• a particular system of faith and worship

• a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance

To tell you the truth I really thought that the 2nd definition would be first because that is what religion has turned into.

Religion has turned into a particular system. It's a lot of doing a certain thing a certain way for a certain reason. Yet if you look at the first and last definition, you see how far away we have come from the true meaning.

There is nothing wrong with going to church every week, reading your Bible, praying and giving monetarily to God... and doing this week after week!  However, it must come out of the first definition. It must first come out of your belief system and your true worship of God. 

Why do we do the things we do????

Why do we go to church?

... because our Pastor may call us when we skip?

...because we have been doing it every week for most of our lives?

...for GOD? 

...to worship God? 

...because we want to meet Him there?

Why do we pray?

...because we want to talk to Him? 

...because God may strike me dead if I don't?

...because we want Him to talk to us? 

...because we want to sound important to the people listening to us pray?

...because your words are for Him.

...because you desire to?

...because it's part of your check list.

Why do we read the Bible?

...because you can't wait to get a little nugget for the day. 

...because you know that is where your energy will come from. 

...because you are interested in what God has for you.

Our habits should come out of a desire for and worship of God.  They should be the results of pursuing a relationship with God.  We do, because of what He did.

Let's look at our doing and going and being and make sure that at the root of it, is a worship of God and pursuit of Him. Let's make church a place where we meet God. - Rejoicing in the Present