Religiousity can be described as holding a standard to achieve, without also having the power, ability, or true desire to ever reach it. This can plague us on a variety of different fronts:

1. In our body…

“This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matt. 15:8).

We have all the outward showings, but nothing changes inside.

1. In our behavior…

“For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers” (Luke 11:46).

We can’t help other people achieve what we cannot even achieve!

1.  In our beliefs…

“The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people’” (Luke 18:11).

In our religious world, the only way to feel great about our emptiness, is to compare it to the faults of others.

These are similar to the way my older cousins used to put their hand on my head when I was small, provoking me to swing at them, but never letting me get close. The result was fatigue, frustration, and disappointment. So also, religion parades under the fake reward of a righteous feeling that it will never be able to supply you, and the result of living in religion is fatigue, frustration, and disappointment.

The Gospel frees you from trying to perform like a hamster on an exercise ball. It’s good news that Jesus performed perfectly on your behalf. The joy of knowing this should fuel our hearts to live like Jesus, and yet relieve the burden of trying to reach some impossible goal.

Jesus paid it all. All that is left for us is the enjoyment of following after Him.