Not Religion but Relationship

If you were meeting friends somewhere but had to call them because you were lost, the first question they would ask is, “Where are you?” Before they can tell you how to get there, they need to know where you are.

God asked that very question of Adam in the Garden of Eden. After Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin entered the world. So he was hiding.

The Lord came walking through the garden in the cool of the day, and He called out to Adam, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9 NKJV).

Now, do you think the Lord knew where Adam was? Of course, He did. God knows everything about us. We can’t hide anything from Him.

In effect, God was saying, “Well, Adam, you ate of the forbidden fruit. How did that go? Are you happy with the way things turned out?”

I think the Lord could ask the same of us today: Where are you? How is your life going? Is this the way you hoped it would turn out? Are you wondering if you’ve missed the whole point of what life is all about?

God loves you. He has a plan for you, and there’s hope for your future. But there’s a big difference between religion and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

It isn’t rules and regulations; it’s real freedom from the power of sin. It isn’t religion; it’s a relationship with Christ himself.

Being a Christian is asking Christ to come and live inside of you. The Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12 NKJV).

Only you can do this. No one can do it for you. The way you become a child of God is by receiving Christ into your life.