Reading:    Mark 11:15-17

And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” Mark 11:17

I usually throw out my junk mail, but a few years ago I received a brochure selling a “prayer system” that I had to read through.  It promised to teach the secrets of prayer that would guarantee good health, make you rich, and give you a long happy life.  The system included a book, a special prayer mat, and an olive wood praying cross from the Holy Land.  It was both the strangest and saddest piece of junk mail that I have ever received.

There are some who think that Christianity is just about improving ourselvess.  They believe that to be a Christian is to learn to live in a certain way and to receive benefits from a healthy lifestyle.  If you flip through some popular faith-based books you will find that they are nothing more than pop psychology self-help books wrapped up in the language of faith.  But Christianity isn’t about feeling better about ourselves; it is about following Christ.

God does want to improve our lives, but that’s not what faith is all about.  We are called to follow and serve the will of God.  That’s what we were made for.  God wants us to love Him because we love Him, not because of the benefits of a life of faith.  Following Christ is what faith is really all about.

Challenge:  Is your faith more about improving yourself or following the will of God?  Choose today to follow Christ.

Prayer Request:  Pray that Christ will be honored by our worship this Good Friday and Easter weekend.