So, what about all this religious stuff?

I have listened, ad nauseum, to the many reports and discussions related to "The Da Vinci Code" and "The Judas Gospel" and other "hot" religious topics of the day. It seems there are many who are fascinated by any religious controversy or anything ABOUT the Bible, but not many seem truly interested in reading and knowing what the Bible actually teaches. Why is that?

I passed a church sign recently that read: "If you are living as if God does not exist, you had better be right!" That church has a point. Just because we choose to believe something is or is not true, does not define the truth of that thing. There is a wealth of information that will allow a rational person to study the larger questions of the existence of God, Jesus' claims, the validity of the Bible, and on and on. Anyone who wants to know, can know. So why do so many spend so much time on the periphery of these issues, rather than focusing on available resources for real answers? It is almost as if we prefer NOT to know.

Perhaps it is because knowing would require making a decision, and making changes in the way we live our lives. We tend to get comfortable with the world as we know it and don't like to change. But change is indeed a requirement to follow Jesus. The call for change is a continual theme throughout the Gospels: "If anyone would come after me, let him..." over and over this theme is heard. The Sermon on the Mount is a recitation of how to live as God would have us live.

In some ways Jesus calls for actions very contrary to our nature. "Turning the other cheek" is not the way we normally respond to a wrong. "Loving our enemies" is not our usual response. Hate seems a fairly normal emotion at times. Yet God, through Jesus, demands that He control our hearts and our very lives. How do we make this happen?

Well, the Good News of course is that we don't have to MAKE it happen! When we truly surrender our lives to the Lord, HE sends His Holy Spirit to indwell us and He changes our lives daily! Over time we see an incredible difference in how we see things and respond to events and people in our lives. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!