Religion = Revision...

I remember the first day I bought my car. A 98' Honda Civic. I can remember the feeling, the excitement, the freedom. I didn't have insurance so I wouldn't be able to drive it until everything went through. There is a feeling you get from something that's new. It's on your mind, fresh, like a crisp apple. I finally got the insurance and it was adrenaline rush city. I finally had my own car, 18 years old and on my way. No more pata mobiles (pata = foot) for me. But somewhere along the way, (I'm not sure where) the adrenaline wore off, the fresh apple became mushy, and the excitement was gone. It became routine. Get in the car and go. It's convenient, but more of the same.

When we read about the story of the magi in Mathew 2, we see that Herod called together the top of the pop, the cream of the crop when it came to religious figures. He needed the best of the chief priests and teachers of religion. He wanted to know where Jesus, The Messiah, The light of the world, the Hope of all nations, The Lamb of God would be born. So being the experts they were, didn't need google to find it. They opened the scrolls right up to Micah to where it says the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

So I'm reading and looking and searching.... for something I don't find. What I don't find is the chief priests, the ones who never missed church, went to sunday school, memorized the bible, who knew all the great stories of the bible. I don't see them get excited about what they just read. They just read that the MESSIAH WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM. HELLO! The Magi couldn't wait to get to the Messiah and worship him, but these religious leaders could care less. They might as well have rolled up their scrolls and went back to bed.

These very priests and leaders who represented God, had life in their hands by knowing the word of God, had religion but lacked intimate relationship with God. They knew of Him, but they didn't really know Him.

It leads me to make the statement that religion requires revision. It's not enough to go to church every sunday, take notes and listen to another sermon and do nothing. Religion is common, it's routine, it's the mushy apple. Intimate Relationship is the crispy apple. It's where action replaces complacency. THATS WHERE IT'S AT!