Religion vs. Spirituality

I am a Christian. 

What does being a Christian mean to me? It means that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. It means that I believe that I can talk directly to Him, and have a personal relationship with Him. It means that though I fall short and don't deserve God's glory, I am still forgiven because He died on the cross to save ME. It means that I know I am a sinner and that I need God in my life to steer me in the right direction. It means that when times are tough, I know that instead of trying to take control myself, I can lean on God for the answers, and somehow, someway, the situation will turn itself around. It also means that when times are GOOD, I know Who to thank.

Couldn't have said it better!

There are so many different religions out there. Some of them are actually kind of admirable. A lot of them, in my opinion, are silly. (A religion based on Star Trek characters? Really?) But, then again, some might say that MY religion is silly. Having a personal relationship with God? Really? Is that even possible? Yes. It is.

There is a difference in Religion and Spirituality. 

Religion: habit. You brush your teeth RELIGIOUSLY. You go to bed RELIGIOUSLY. In other words, you do it kind of because you HAVE to. It's somewhat of an obligation. It has become a habit. You brush your teeth and then you go and eat oreos.....well, being RELIGIOUS is kind of the same thing. You go to church on Sunday, and then Monday morning, you go to work and curse at the printer for not working right. Then you go gossip about your co-worker, which ends up spreading a horrible rumor. You steal your bosses pen off his desk. You take an hour and a half for lunch instead of an hour. After work, you flirt with that hot guy/girl at the gas station, undressing him/her with your eyes, while holding the gas (thingy) with your left hand with the wedding ring on it. When you get home, you daydream about being the owner of your neighbors brand new sports car.......

......but you are a RELIGIOUS person. Your home is FILLED with Bible verses and crosses and you own about 30 Bibles. You are a Sunday School teacher. You pray for each and every person on the prayer list at church. You are one of the best volunteers at church, cooking for every function. Chaperoning the Youth Group for different functions. Driving the church van for the older ladies mission group. 

But in all of that.....do you ever sit and TALK to God? Are you IN your relationship with God or is it just there as a trophy on your bookshelf? Do you keep your FAITH in check?

That's the difference between being Religious and being Spiritual. For me, being Spiritual is WAY more important than being Religious. The Spiritual person is no less a sinner than the Religious person. Still commits those sins every single day. But they actually PARTICIPATE in their relationship with God. They TRUST Him. They TALK to him. They have FAITH that everything will work out the way it is supposed to.  They may not be in church EVERY Sunday, but when they ARE there, they're there because they WANT to be, not because it's what they're SUPPOSED to do because it's what's EXPECTED of them. God doesn't want a lukewarm follower:

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

If you are going to be a Christian, if you are going to be a follower of Christ, do it out of the sincere LOVE of your heart. Do it because you genuinely and honestly WANT to, not because you feel like you have to. Be COMMITTED in your walk with Christ, or don't do it at all.

I consider myself a spiritual person. I used to go to church every single Sunday when I was younger. When I got old enough to drive, my parents started letting me make my own decisions. I started to really develop an actual RELATIONSHIP with God at that point. Granted, I haven't always been in touch. I haven't ALWAYS prayed or read my bible like I should. But I do know who Jesus is. I know that my life is the way that it is because God has been involved. I am where I am because of Him. And it is an amazing feeling to know that I don't have to be in control of my life. I can give the steering wheel to Jesus and He will steer me in the right direction every time. That "right road" may be filled with temptation, and bad situations, but God will never give me anything I can't handle, and He will pull me through every single time. I just have to TRUST in Him. 

OK, the preaching is over.....