Blue Like Jazz...

I just started reading a book by Don Miller called, "Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality." I'm only in the second chapter, but, so far I'm really digging this book. As I started reading the second chapter this morning, a couple of sentences immediately grabbed my attention (maybe because they were in the second paragraph or maybe because I think they speak a good bit of truth).

"I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather to have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God." (Don Miller, Blue Like Jazz).

This is an intriguing thought...The devil wants us to waste time being religious! Have you ever thought about the difference between having faith/having a relationship with Jesus Christ and being religious? Religion is about the way we practice our belief. Many times we can get caught up in the practice...making sure we do our prayer, do our devotions, go to worship, raise our hands when we sing, bow our heads when we pray, do this, do that...and if we do all these things we'll be close to God. I'm not saying those things are bad. But, often times, if we get too caught up in the doing of these things, we miss out on letting God speak to us through the ordinary things of our daily lives. Having faith/having a relationship with Jesus Christ is about the heart. It's not so much about what we do...it's about the condition of our heart. Now, many of the "practices" of religion help our hearts get into shape...so don't count them out. But, too many of us simply go through the motions instead of setting ourselves up in positions where God can shake us up.

Well, today, I think I might spend some time trying to figure out what religious habits are keeping my heart from being engaged by and with God.