GOD IS NOT AFTER YOUR BEHAVIOR.
GOD IS AFTER YOUR HEART.
A Message from The Encounter — Man to Man Men’s Conferences. God did not send His Son to die on a cross just so you could quit drinking. He didn’t tear the veil in two just so you could put down the needle. God, the creator of everything seen and unseen, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. What God is after is you. Not simply your behavior modification — but you, your heart. Your face turned toward His. Your surrender. So you could live in peace.
The Trap of Religion
Here’s the trap a lot of us fall into: we think the goal is to fix the sin first, and then God will be pleased with us. Clean up, then come close. Get your act together, then approach the throne.
But that’s backwards. That’s not the Gospel — that’s religion. And religion will wear you out, because you’ll never be clean enough on your own.
God told Israel through the prophet Hosea: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Hear that. He’s not impressed by your performance. He’s not keeping score on your sacrifices, your church attendance, your white-knuckled effort to behave. He wants to know you and be known by you. He wants
acknowledgment — relationship — over ritual.
Here’s the trap a lot of us fall into: we think the goal is to fix the sin first, and then God will be pleased with us. Clean up, then come close. Get your act together, then approach the throne.
But that’s backwards. That’s not the Gospel — that’s religion. And religion will wear you out, because you’ll never be clean enough on your own.
God told Israel through the prophet Hosea: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Hear that. He’s not impressed by your performance. He’s not keeping score on your sacrifices, your church attendance, your white-knuckled effort to behave. He wants to know you and be known by you. He wants
acknowledgment — relationship — over ritual.
