For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
What do you think about religion? I know for me religion doesn’t bring a lot of comfort. I’ve said for a long time that religion is man’s attempt to reach God and by the way it always falls short. I heard a pastor recently say that you won’t find denominations in heaven, and I think he is right. There is an old joke that is still floating around that when you get to heaven you will have to be quiet in the Baptist sector because they think they are the only ones there. Smile…and remember I am one.
Now there is a religion that kinda makes God smile but it really isn’t religion as we know it. It is God’s brand, and its roots are far deeper than a building or a steeple. The roots of God’s brand of religion are found in the Gospel…the Good News and it centers on God’s grace and faith in His Son Jesus—believing what He said and what He did. Here’s what the Bible says religion truly is—we find it in James 1:27. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” You see true religion in God’s eyes is looking after the hurting and most vulnerable, as well as honoring Him with your life.
The one thing I love most about God’s brand of religion, the Gospel, is the fact that it is a game changer. You see, the Gospel isn’t just a set of rules to keep. In fact, the Gospel has the power to change lives. I was listening to a song called, Healer, and there were some comments that other listeners had written. This one caught my eye. It said, “I grew up in the streets, the streets raised me and made me a gangsta, I was a blood, I sold dope. I’d been in shoot outs, fights, in and out of jail since age 17. I robbed people and got robbed. I was a drunkard, fornicator, I used to club and pop pills. But I had an encounter with JESUS while in jail facing 5-10 years and JESUS made me over again at age 23. Eight years later, hallelujah, I’m still free and born again, still filled with the Holy Spirit. JESUS is a Mighty Deliverer bless His Holy name! NOTHING else will do!”
What a powerful testimony of the power of the Gospel. Trust me, that is something that church and just religion can never do. So, if your life is a mess, let me suggest that you give up totally on religion and turn to the One who really can and will change your life. You see, God is not in the makeover business—He is in the born-again business, the kind of business that will transform your life. No matter how messy your mess is—remember this—believe this—He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 