Relationship not religion.

God our father longs for relationship with us not religion. He's not interested in mechanical observation of rules. In fact He hates religion so much that Jesus compared religious people to tombs. All painted and pretty on the outside and stinking like a rotten corpse on the inside!

Jesus' story commonly known as the Prodigal son is actually the story of two sons. One is the more famous one who went off and got in a mess, but given the original audience it's more like Jesus was emphasising the usually forgotten older brother.

Outwardly, the older brother was the model son, obedient, respectful, hardworking, but inside he was riddled with cancerous religion. When his brother comes home and is welcomed back by their father with open arms and a party thrown to celebrate, he chucks a complete 'hissy fit', stamps his feet like a two year old and all the toys exit the pram at high speed. You can almost hear the righteous indignation in his voice as Jesus tells the story. "Your son, who has squandered your money on prostitutes". He spits the words out with disgust from the safe place of the moral high ground. Is there anything more indignant than a religious person on the moral high ground, observing the low-life around them?

The incredibly sad thing is that the older brother was as far relationally from his father as the younger brother. Despite his close physical proximity to the father, he never knew him. He can't have or he'd have known his fathers pain at losing his son, and then been delighted for his father when the son returned. He can't have or he'd have been amazed at his fathers graciousness and generosity in recieving his son back and he'd have loved him more.

The older brother is a picture of what religion offers. Obedience without relationship. Going through the motions, with a festering boil of resentment waiting to explode at the unfairness of it all. Father God longs for relationship, for us to know his love and to love him in return. Funny thing is obedience follows naturally when we love him. Jesus said "If you love me you will obey me"(Jn 14:15) This is not a manipulative ultimatum but a statement of fact. Religion says obey, Jesus says love.

God bless you,
Enjoy soaking in the Fathers love