Religion is a man made way of justifying ourselves before God. It is a vain attempt to live by an exacting moral standard through our own power. Through our religion we hope to earn our way into relationship with God.

Religion is lived from the outside in.

Relationship is a God made way of living with complete trust in Him. We cannot fully trust someone whose heart we do not know and so it begins with divine revelation. Rather than relying on willpower it relies on God power. It begins in the heart as the truth of His love sinks in and is increasingly evident in the fruits we bear.

Relationship relies first and foremost on God.

It involves setting aside the futility of our attempts to live by the moral standard through willpower. It’s based on complete trust. It accepts that all of our abilities originate from Him and that we are only justified through Him.

Are you living out of your own willpower in hopes that your religion will make you acceptable to God or are you relying upon your relationship with Him and trusting Him at His word that the good work He began in in you He will complete?

~ Mitch Salmon

Mitch Salmon is the founder of Fisher of Men Productions and a follower of Jesus Christ and proclaimer of the Good News – The Gospel of Christ Jesus!