PowerPoint - May 7, 2008

May 7, 2008

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

--Matthew 7:21

Being a follower of Jesus Christ is a matter of the heart… it’s not about following rules or rituals, or being “religious” as some people think.

Of course, it’s important to obey the Lord’s commands, and by doing so, you demonstrate your love for Him. But God has always been more interested in the state of your heart than what you can do to impress Him.

When your heart is humble and you genuinely seek to serve Him because of your relationship with Him, He is pleased by that.

But He sees right through the façade when a person is simply going through the motions, or doing their “good works” to receive applause from men. This kind of “religion” will never win God’s favor.

That’s the difference between being a disciple of Jesus and being “religious”. Keep your heart engaged with Him and serve Him out of true devotion, and you will bring pleasure to the heart of God.

GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED BY “RELIGION”,
BUT BY HEARTFELT DEVOTION TO HIM.