The battle for relationship

I just started reading the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. It's a challenging little book because it addresses our constant struggle- the struggle to keep a relationship with God from becoming a religion about God.

It's strange, but when I have a relationship with God I do what he asks out of love for him and fellowship with him, but when my relationship dims I continue to do the same things I did before, but now they are out of guilt and obligation. The progression from relationship to religion is subtle and happens far too easily. We have to constantly work on our relationship with God to keep our fellowship with him vital and our obedience to him based on love for him.

The problem that developed in Malachi's day was that the nation of Israel had moved from relationship to religion and didn't even know it had happened. They were still doing the same things, but now their motive and motivation had changed. Their relationship had become religion....sterile, cold, impersonal religion. They lost their love for God, their passion to please him and the reason they served him. Now it was just a cold empty shell of what God wanted it to be and Malachi comes to reprimand and remind them.....don't you remember what we had? What you are doing now is not what I want from you. I want a relationship, but you have made it a religion.

Here's the strange thing about all of this- no one likes religion, but everyone likes relationship. God made us for relationship. God wants intimacy with us. But so easily, so subtly we make relationship with God into an obligation and become cold, sterile and dead. God's whole purpose through Malachi was to woo back his love and remind them of the relationship they had. He's doing that today as well. God wants relationship. We settle for religion. And neither we nor God are happy with the outcome.

Relationship with God....it demands time, attention, talking and listening to each other, spending time with him, hanging out in his presence. It demands time in his word to hear him and know him. It demands time in prayer to share your heart and kindle love and intimacy. That's why we settle for religion....religion takes no time at all. It's easy to do, but it's artificial, dead and empty.

Malachi is reminding me again how easy it is for me to slip back into religion and miss the joys and blessings of relationship with the living God. Religion is easy, but relationship with God? That takes time....time to be with him, but it's so worth the investment.