I notice when talking with certain people about Christian living, it’s common for them to lose eye contact as they start searching for a way to change the subject. Actually, this is perfectly understandable. Why? Because if someone, even if they are somewhat religious, has never given their heart to Jesus Christ or made the commitment to follow him, they feel uncomfortable thinking and talking about it.
Our natural mind and the Spirit of the Lord are like oil and water, as the old nature wants nothing to do with being held accountable or surrendering our will to anyone, especially to God. Conviction from the Holy Spirit is a sense of guilt and remorse that graciously reminds us we are heading down the wrong path and awakens our need for God and his forgiveness. God’s word is the truth that can set us free and is the means that he has chosen for gathering the lost to himself.
The average non-Christian does not mind listening to a Bible story and might even enjoy a cute Christmas play where the children dress up and reenact the account of when Baby Jesus was born. But when the subject turns to abandoning and yielding our will to the righteous Judge, this is when they head for the door.
We know there is quite a bit of religious activity around because churches are everywhere, but our personal relationship with Jesus is what life is really about. It’s good to attend church, but sitting in a church service does not necessarily mean someone is committed to Christ. We do not like to admit this, but it’s much easier to custom-design our association with God instead of surrendering our control and allowing his truth to change us into his image.
Humans are experts with deception and denial, which explains why most people live in a world that is affiliated with a form of religion without the responsibility of doing what God says. Matthew 15:8 puts it this way, “These people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”