Stuff vs Freedom
by Skillie Jacques Botha
Humans love getting side-tracked by stuff. Yes stuff — stuff that really don’t matter, but we waste so much time doing that stuff.
It’s the same with faith in Jesus. Our focus so easily jumps from Him being the only focus to all other kinds of religious stuff. Whenever I speak to Christians I pick this up in pretty much all of them — so busy with some new study at church, or they started celebrating old Jewish traditions, or they’re so focussed on their sins that they’re nervous wrecks...
But why?
Why all this stuff, when Jesus is enough?!
Should we as followers of Christ really be struggling with religious issues? Are we really free in Christ if we’re still enslaved by trying to earn freedom by performance? Stop. You can’t do anything to earn the freedom Jesus offers. He gave it to you, because He loves you with all your heart. Don’t throw it back in His face by being involved in religious issues!
Next time you’re busy with religious stuff, ask yourself — how is this related to Jesus? And is it really needed, or is His grace enough?
The people of the world (not all of them) think Jesus is lame, because of the way we approach the religious stuff. It’s a constant mud-slinging contest — how stupid! Can we please stop making Jesus look stupid and lame? Jefferson Bethke makes a really good statement: “People these days oppose Jesus for the very same reason Jesus opposed both the pharisees and the fake.” If we can only find ourselves to stop throwing religious mud and focus on Jesus, we would actually invite people to meet the real Jesus and the amazing grace that He provides.
Christians make following Jesus so complicated. For goodness sake, the Gospel is Good News, not a complicated way of living.
Skillie Jacques Botha www.lukraakdenke.wordpress.com