No superstars here

Jesus didn’t come to make us religious superstars. Far from it—He came to deliver us from empty religion, even orthodox, time-honored religion. Jesus came to bring us into intimacy with God through Himself. In His earthly days, as in our day, those most offended by Him were the religionists who built their reputation by keeping their golden idols polished to a brighter shine than anybody else’s in town.

The idols are their own particular rules of the road that must be observed as they speed down the highway they call “Christian living.” Their display case is filled with the specific idols that most easily fit their own personality and temperament, and they judge everybody else by whether or not they live up to their own personal standards. People are incidental. What matters instead to the legalist is people’s behavior.—Steve McVey, A Divine Invitation, electronic edition