1 john 2:15-17

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. THESE ARE NOT FROM THE FATHER, but are from the world. And this world is fading fading fading away, along with everything that people (I) crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Why don't i love people as I should? Why do I not see myself as I should, as the sinner I am? Because I don't have the love of the father in me. Because I love the world and the things it offers. Thank you God for your forgiveness.

civil religion

2 peter 1:5 - 9

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

DANG! this reeks of the type of christian religion we live by today. I have the belief but I am so shortsighted and blind to what a life of following christ is about.

I am tired of categorizing my life into boxes where I treat my "faith" like insurance, a rule I follow to make sure I escape the scary fires of the devil. Do your quiet time.... Don't cuss.... Don't drink.... Once you've done these "things or rules" then you're, as a friend put it, a "super christian" on the fast track to heaven and free to feed your own appetite once you get the religion checklist out of the way.

A book I am reading calls this "a cult of civil religion" where we "fortify ourselves against any truth that would set us free from the illusions that are killing us." We savagely offer sacrifices to our own empty stomachs hungry for fleeting desires like wealth and beauty, to make us proud, proud of what we have done, and what we have accomplished. We have forgotten what Jesus' live looked like, selfless and humble. He offered a life different from the mainstream way of emptiness we all live in. One where we aren't looking over our shoulders and hoarding our stuff. One where we can have a genuine love for people instead of trampling over everyone that gets in our way so we can get the credit or so we can feel better or important. A life that is attractive and offers the peace everyone including "christians" are searching for.

reflection of faith

Hebrews 11 - examples of faith

there is listed the stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and many more and how they pleased God by living lives of faith. God describes them as "too good for this world, wandering over deserts and and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground 38" These people God used did not follow the patterns of this world nor wanted what it offered. Moses gave up all the treasures and pleasures of Egypt to wander in the desert. He understood something I don't. I am so easily snared by the world distractions and temptations.

I don't live my life by my faith. I live like the world is all there is. "God has something better in mind for all of us 40"

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.