Soulless Religion

Two things I find unappealing – lukewarm coffee and flat soda pop.  On a hot day, an iced coffee is delicious, and what can replace a steaming hot cup of coffee on a chill winter morn? Flat soda? Well, just pour it down the drain. It’s nothing without the fizz.  People without passion are a tragedy, too. Who cannot feel a deep sadness for a person who hates his job, who lives in a loveless marriage, who shuffles through life just putting one foot in front of the other through one gray day after another? Then, there are those who know why they are alive, who drink deeply from the cup of life be it filled with sorrow or ecstasy.  They love whole-heartedly, laugh readily, weep appropriately. They do not just exist, they live!

Are you a Christian practicing a soulless religion, doing your duty, maintaining your morality, serving in some ministry – but all without any passion for Jesus Christ? Are you working your way to Heaven and missing the joy of the journey? Here’s what Jesus says about that kind of disciple. “I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit." (Revelation 3:15-16, The Message)  Yes, that is what He says to a church that was upright and hard-working!  His further appeal to them is that they return to Him, that they stop trying so hard and allow Him to clothe them with His rich garments of grace. And then, He makes this offer: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20, NIV)  How long has it been since you just sat down, waiting on Jesus, and heard what He had to say to you?

Soulless religion gains traction in our lives when the focus of our faith moves from His majesty to our good works. It’s a subtle deception of pride that says, “I’ll prove to God and myself how good I am, how much I deserve to be in His Church.”  At first, our hard work feels good. It lets us take pride in ourselves because we can look around at so many who are doing little or nothing for God. But, like an addictive drug, it takes more and more to feel the high. Soon we’re on a treadmill of religion, running faster and faster, exhausted by our efforts, graceless, unloving, and joyless; the very antithesis of an authentic Christian.  At that point, many Christians choose the wrong ‘cure.’ Instead of returning to their first love, they settle for an apathetic practice of religion that replaces the ‘first love’ enthusiasm of a true disciple.

Isaiah heard God’s Spirit. The Lord’s lament about His people who had forsaken Him is like a song of a spurned lover. As you read this word from the Word today, pray for understanding. If the description fits, don’t go ‘do more.’  Stop. Look. Listen. Wait. Find your First Love.

"Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard, like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest, like a helpless city under siege. …

“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings … I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts … I want no more of your pious meetings. I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!

When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat." (Isaiah 1:8-19, NLT)

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Father, I wait for You today.
Forgive me for thinking I could earn your favor.

Captivate my heart and mind with your Beauty.

Restore the passion of true worship to my songs, my prayers.

Let me live with love, joy, peace in full fruit,

The evidence of your Spirit-life working in me.
Jesus, my Vine, keep this branch connected

To the Life source that You are.

Amen.