Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It was windy and chilly this morning, and even though I didn’t stay there for long, I stayed long enough to take a deep breath of fresh air and to thank the Living God for another day of Life and Service to the King. It’s a typical Virginia Spring, that’s for sure. One day, I’m savoring the view from outside on the warm front porch; the next, I’m dodging the cold and opting for comfort and warmth inside instead. It’s a small price to pay to be willing to endure the cold for any length of time outside with the Living God, but the Journey of Faith isn’t always a comfortable thing. Sometimes I’m stretched, and sometimes I’m tried, and sometimes I am uncomfortable as I Walk this walk with Him – but those tiny little things in a much bigger Picture make every sacrifice worthwhile as He Grows the Faith of this Willing Servant. Isn’t that the way it is for you, too?

I laugh when people refer to me as “very religious” because I’m not religious at all. I’m ready, willing, and able to serve my God whenever He’s ready for me, and I’m always listening out for the Call. I’m no expert, but from where I sit, the Flexible ones in the Bible – the ones ready to Follow His Instructions no matter where it took them or even if it made sense to them at all – they had the favor of God, while the ones riddled with rituals and obsessed over the “rules” were ridiculed by Him. That’s enough for me! So, I remain flexible and free, and I’m not bound to “tradition” or ceremonial things that define so many others. I learned a while ago that it doesn’t matter what denominational club I might belong to – it doesn’t matter what “religion” I believe in; the ONLY thing that matters is what Truth I believe in, and from where I sit, there is only One Truth.

Faith is a strange thing when you think about it, and it can’t be understood or defined in the flesh. It’s something felt from the Inside, and it is something that defies logic. The Bible says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I’ve had some of the highest I.Q.s on the planet attempt to debate things written in the Word of God as if they’re trying to save me from my own stupidity. But they don’t understand Faith (yet), and their arguments are wasted on me. Not just because the Bible instructs me (us) NOT to argue about such things, but because I’m unshakable. I KNOW the Truth. Religion can always be debated, theologies can always be scrutinized, and people can be swayed in one direction or another when they focus on “religion.” If that were not so, there wouldn’t be hundreds of denominations in the world and churches on every street corner – a clear picture of what it looks like when man can’t agree on the Word of God. All I know is that when you KNOW the King of all kings…when you KNOW the one and Only Truth…when you Walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh…the only thing that moves you (or matters) is Him.

I’m fairly knowledgable about what the Bible says, and I can pull out the Truth whenever I need it – but that’s not a sign of my head-knowledge, that a “sign” of the Holy Spirit dwelling within me instead. My Faith is like that of a child…Trusting and awestruck and forever Leaning on One bigger than myself. If His Word says that Jonah was swallowed up in the belly of a big fish or that Jesus and Peter walked on the water, then I don’t doubt it for a single second, and I don’t need it explained to me. I Believe with my Heart and not with my head, and I am confident that God is pleased because of it. It’s a sad thing to see the human mind fight against the Spiritual things to make sense of them, and it’s a sad thing to see people blinded by religion while they lack the Spiritual entirely…the only way to a Relationship with Jesus Christ. No matter the “religion” or philosophy – no amount of debating over theologies or the latest and greatest “religion” being sold to the world…one day EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord whether they believe it (now) or not. My “job” is to share the Good News with as many people as I can so that they bow on their knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord while they still have time to Serve Him too! I don’t care about recruiting them to one religion or another – I care about recruiting them to the Jesus Team.

People from all walks of life (and belief systems) can sometimes be drawn to me like a moth drawn to light, but it isn’t because I’m religious that they’re drawn to me. It isn’t my personality that draws them to me, and it’s not my twisted sense of humor or my ability to thread a good story. People can be drawn to me NOT because I’m “very religious” but because I’m very Spiritual, and the Spirit of the Living God can be felt through me when they’re in my presence. They’re drawn because I am the “light of the world” and the “salt of the earth” just like the Bible says that I am, and as a Living Breathing Child of the Living God, it’s not so easy to ignore me. Being religious doesn’t minister to the heart at all, but being Spiritual, now that’s an entirely different story. Being Spiritual means taking on the nature of the One Who died for me, and being Spiritual means I love unconditionally and I refrain from judging the life of another. Being Spiritual means that I walk the Walk and I talk the Talk, and I love others enough to want them to have what I have. Being Spiritual starts on the inside and it permeates through every cell in my body…just the way Jesus says it should be. Being Spiritual involves a whole lot of Light and salt and very few rules and regulations. This is the Key to leading more and more people into a Relationship with Jesus Christ.

I don’t have a religious bone in my body, and I’ll keep it that way. I’ve worked hard on the Spiritual side of me this morning with a little sacrifice and with a childlike Heart and there is no doubt people will see Him in me today because of it. I’m a child of the Living God. I’m heaven-bound. I’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. I’m on a Recruiting Assignment, and there’s not much time to get my Job done before He calls me Home – and THAT’S what I care about the most. Not manmade denominations or manmade rules, or manmade rituals…JUST HIM. It’s pretty simple – He died for me – I live for Him.

How about you?

Do you strut around so proud of your denomination or your local church as if you’re the only “good ones” in town, and are you so religious that you’ve lost sight of the Spiritual? IF so, reach out to me. I’ll tell you about the Pharisees…the “religious” experts of old times, and what Christ thought about their “religion” and I’ll explain Grace and Mercy to you in a way that maybe you’ve never heard…and when I’m done with you – you’ll be a whole lot less “religious” and a whole lot more spiritual too!