When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9 (NLT)
There’s an old saying that goes, “Religion is man’s pursuit of God, but Christianity is God’s pursuit of man.”
You see, works-based religion involves people pursuing after God’s love, blessing or presence by following a bunch of man-made rules. Religion is a harsh, relentless taskmaster for so many people.
For example, there are devotees to certain religions who drive steel pins through their cheeks to please their god. Followers of other religions crawl on their knees up steep mountains to a statue of their god to prove that they are worthy of love or to have their prayers answered. Some people volunteer at church hoping it earns them brownie points with God.
Religion always places the burden on an individual to pursue God’s favour. But after humanity’s fall in the garden, notice that it was God who searched for man!
While Adam and Eve hid in shame, God still pursued His relationship with mankind…and He continued until He made a way to restore it. That way was accomplished through Christ’s death and resurrection.
Maybe you haven’t lived perfectly and feel like you need to hide in shame from your Creator. Or perhaps you feel burnt out from trying to earn your way into God’s good graces. Whatever your circumstances, recognize that God pulled out all the stops to provide a way for us to enjoy a redeemed relationship with Him.
What amazing news to know that we don’t need religious works to reach God—we just need Jesus.
Get encouraging devotions from Leon Fontaine in your inbox every morning.
