I’m still trying to get over the parts of me that gravitate toward the first kind of religion, but I’m hopeful that with the help of Jesus and others who follow him, I can grow in the second kind – the demonstration of love toward all people.
What did Jesus really mean when he said we couldn’t see the kingdom of God unless we were born again, or that God loved the world by sending his son to save it? We have to start by removing many of our wrong assumptions and approaching Jesus in a fresh way.
The Book of Revelation in the Bible… bear with me… is NOT about the second coming of Christ, the rapture, the end of the world, how to spot the antichrist, or how awful the end times will be. It’s about worshipping the Lamb in the midst of empire.
You don’t have to practice self-discipline alone. In fact, millions are celebrating Lent starting with Ash Wednesday. But Jesus taught us, by example and in his sermons, that there is deep, personal reward for drawing away from our daily concerns and addictions to draw nearer to the heart of God.