Forget the former things

The reason people struggle to let go of religion, a yearning to seek, please and worship God, is because it was lent to us by God. It was lent to us until Christ came. Unlike religion which was leased to us for a time, Christ is a gift for all eternity.

“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.” (Luke 16:16)

When we look into religion, we are amazed at the privilege of being one seeking God. Yet, when we look at Christ, we’re deeply rejoiced at the good news of being one loved by God, one relentlessly sought after by God.

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?”(Luke 15:4)

This is how Christ Jesus the Gift compares to religion the lease:

“Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19)

Jesus is the way in the wilderness, the way to get out of the wilderness, the way to get out of the hopelessness of this world into the presence of God. Christ in us are his streams in the desert which is the hopeless hearts of mankind for without hope in Christ, we are nothing but dust waiting for its time to settle down to the ground. Thanks be to God through Christ our Lord and Savior, we are God’s dust made glorious by the hope of eternal life of Christ in us.

Now, how do we let go of religion? By God’s command:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” (Isaiah 43:18)

God has given us His Spirit to be in us new life and lead us to His glory, Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord, our good friend. That’s the way in the wilderness. That’s the new thing of God. For whosoever confesses Jesus, the Son of God, as their Lord and Savior, is born of God. For we can only render such confession by the Spirit of God dwelling within, which in itself is a gift of God, not a reward or award, not a loan or lease, but the gift of God.