RITUAL OR RELATIONSHIP?
Neither did they say,
“Where is the LORD,
Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who led us through the wilderness?”
Jeremiah 2:6
Christianity is an intimate, growing relationship with Jesus Christ, not a mere ritual to be performed. It is not a set of doctrines to believe, habits to practice, or sins to avoid. Instead, every activity God commands is intended to enhance His relationship with His people.
What kinds of activities enhance our relationship with God?
God designed worship for us to see Him in His glory and to respond appropriately. For many Christians, worship has degenerated into “religion,” one more meeting to attend out of habit.
God established the sacrificial system (an offering) so that we could express our love to Him. Oftentimes, we diminish our gifts to our Lord into futile attempts to appease Him and to pacify our guilty conscience.
God gave us prayer so we could have conversation with Him, but we often distort this by “saying prayers” and hurrying off without ever listening to what is on our Father’s heart.
God instituted His commandments as a protection for those He loves, but the commandments can become a pathway to legalism rather than an avenue for a relationship with our Father in which He protects us from harm.
To summarize –
Religious activity apart from fellowship with God is just an empty ritual. The people of Jeremiah’s day were satisfied to have the ritual without the manifest presence of God. As a result, they became so comfortable with their “religion” that they didn’t even notice God’s absence.
Is it possible to pray, attend a worship service, or give an offering yet not experience the presence of God? It certainly is possible! That is often the sad commentary on many Christian experiences. Yet when God is present in our lives, the difference will be obvious.
As you pray today, thank God for giving you all of these tools – worship, offering, prayer, and His commandments – which enable you to grow closer to Him. Ask Him to guide you along the path to a true relationship with Him, and ask that He helps you avoid the path of complacency and ritual.
Source: “Experiencing God Day-By-Day; The Devotional and Journal”, by Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby ©1997. Entry January 5.