I took a roadtrip this past weekend and during that time I was able to hear a lot and do a lot of thinking. It's amazing the things that God shows us when we are sitting still all by ourselves. I popped in a music cd that I've had for several years but really hadn't listened to it in its entirety. The entire cd is comprised of songs talking about relationship with God. There is one song that stuck out to me that I want to share and speak on in depth. The song is entitled "Is your all on the altar" and it's by Yolanda Adams. Click Here To Listen.
See, no one taught me how to put my all on the altar. I didn't know what my all was! All I knew was rules and regulations: what to say and not to say; what to do and not to do; to go to Bible Study, Sunday School, Sunday Morning Worship, evening service and special programs; to be busy doing something in church; to give my money to the church; and etc. No one took time to explain grace to me and the magnitude of God's love and His sacrifice. Romans 12:1 tells us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is our reasonable service. Some think that following rules and regulations is a sacrifice and in many ways it is. You're sacrificing your freedom, your time and life to the benefit of who? That is the question. Man-made mandates and systems have made what we know as Christianity into a life of bondage and boredom. Then as a result, we find thoughts of atheism, agnosticism and hyprocrisy creeping in our doors and faith diminishing because we've placed our faith in works of the institutionalized church and in the people in leadership instead of the God of the universe. We pray because that's what we've been taught to do. We fast because that's we're told to do. We give our money because that's what we've been told to do. You know, to sow a seed. We do all of these things to try to manipulate God's grace to find it to no avail because we have more of a relationship with methods than Jesus, the answer himself.
Religion scares people into getting saved with talks of hell and brimestone. The message of grace compels people into getting saved because Jesus has more to offer than a place to go after earthly death. He offers a better life, an abundant life, peace that surpasses all understanding when all hell is breaking loose, joy unspeakable, true happiness...everything we may want and need in life. And God never told us that life was going to be fair or right all of the time, but He does promise to be the solution and remedy to every problem and issue we have. BUT we can only take part in these benefits when we lay our all on the altar meaning OURSELVES on the altar. Our money is NOT us, our time is NOT us, our willingness and ability to follow rules is NOT us. We are trichotomy: SOUL, BODY and SPIRIT. That is what God wants: our will, intellect, emotions, physcial body and spirit. You know just like in the natural, some people find it easy to do what is asked of them or to give money than to give all of themselves. But the bible tells us to love the Lord with ALL of our heart, our soul and strength. Those aren't external things but internal.
As I digress: Jesus gave his life for us all. He was beaten, whipped, pierced with spears, spit upon and had hairs plucked from his beard so that we could have relationship with him, God, not religion. Religion was here before He came on the scene so why would He come so that we could have that which already existed? I hope I've given you some things to think about and ponder until next time. I feel a part 2 of this coming so stay tuned.
Embrace God and the blessing,
Vakeisa L. Jones
