Earlier this year we had eleven of our trees removed that were close to the house. I really didn't want to do this but they were too close to the house and they were nut trees which meant for weeks in the fall we heard nuts falling, hitting our roof and rolling down. To say it was annoying would be an understatement. Oh don't worry we have plenty of other trees in our yard. While watching the guys taking down these trees I was amazed at the risks they take. These were not small trees, they towered over our home so watching them climb these trees made me curious, how willing am I to go out on the limb to a dream.
Life is not without risks. Every day we step out of bed we risk our lives for one thing or another so the question for me is not simple am I going to go out on a limb, but what or who am I willing to risk my life for? Trust me this is not an easy question for me to answer let alone contemplate. I love my comfort zone. I love the safety of my home. I don't like taking risks. I am not the adventurous type. The sheer thought scares the heck out of me. Yet in a weird way it also intrigues me and in an even weirder way inspires me.
Why does it intrigue me or inspire me? Well when I look at the life of Jesus Christ, He risked everything and in the end He risked His life to let people know God loves them. If He can do that to let me know how much God loves me, how can I sit on my but and not risk my life. Okay maybe I'm not in a position to risk my life but I can risk a lot by what I say and do. I risk offending non believers by my belief in Jesus Christ. I risk offending believers by telling them the truth about their behavior or their words. I risk offending people in general by telling them how much God has blessed me and my family. Generally speaking I'd rather risk offending people than offending God!
Jesus Christ didn't care if He offended the religious leaders of His time. He spoke truth and He spoke love. He destroyed the ritualistic garbage and the laws the pharisees created. His death tore the veil in the temple so that we could have a relationship with God. His resurrection gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit whcih meant the presence of God Himself dwells in us. We don't need to pray to Mary or saints to intercede for us because Jesus Christ is our intercessor. We don't need to go to a priest to confess our sins, we go directly to God Himself. I will not attend church as a holy day of obligation, church should never be thought of as an obligation. I go to church because I want to. The presence of God does not only dwell in a church building, His presence dwells in me through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Okay now I may really be risking offending peope but here goes nothing....
The only way to heaven is belief in Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter what religion you are, what matters is who you believe in!
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