Look, I found God

Yesterday we had a world religions panel at our church. We had representatives from Judaism, Islam, Hindu and Christianity. I found it rather fascinating. I love stuff like that. I can sit down and watch panel discussions and documentaries until the cows come home (no offense to our Hindu speaker). I really tried my best to go into the whole thing with an open mind. Of course growing up Christian, and working at a Christian church, it was hard for me to be totally objective. After listening to everything I came to two conclusions. First off, after listening to all four speakers, if I was seeking a religion Christianity would be the hands down choice. For no other reason then, out of the four, it seems the least complicated. The other three religions have no less then three texts you’ve got to keep up with. I have a hard enough time reading the Bible, let alone having to keep up with two or three others! I know that sounds stupid, picking a religion just because it’s easy. But I’m trying to approach this from a “I have no religion and I’ve got to pick one” angle. Also, the other religions seem to have a bunch of “do’s and don’ts”. They seem more about what you do as opposed to who you are. Now, as a Christian I certainly believe how you behave is important, there are certain things I do and don’t do based on my faith. But those “do’s and don’ts” come out of a relationship with Jesus. It’s through my relationship with Christ that I decide I do certain things or don’t do certain things. It’s not out of obligation or fear of spending an eternity in Hell. Sure, I know that’s a possible consequence for my actions, but it’s not the motivating factor. Anyway, as I listened to the other religious viewpoints, I just kept thinking “man, that just seems too complicated”. Again, some of you may mistake my attitude for laziness. It’s actually the opposite. I just don’t think God makes things that difficult. I’m not saying being a faithful Christian is easy, but having a relationship with God is. The second thing that struck me is what an amazing and loving God we have. And in light of light I’m embarrassed of how I honor God. I’m ashamed of the amount of time I spend in personal devotion and prayer. I looked up at that stage and thought how lucky I am to believe in the one true God and His son Jesus. Then I thought about what a poor job I do of continuing to grow and know Him more. I’ve been given and accepted the greatest gift in the world, and I don’t do much with it. That changes today.