“You may preach a religion about Jesus, but, perforce, you must live the religion of Jesus.” [UB 196:2:1]

Thought Adjuster: “To reap full benefits from Jesus’ life and teachings, you need to be clear about the objective of ‘your’ religious experience.  Do you feel justified by your belief system, or is something still amiss since you are not exuding vibrant emotions? How about your thinking processes?  Are they impacted by what you profess to be your religious life?

The primary purpose of religion should be to form and maintain an intimate relationship with God. How is it working for you?

Preachers, if they speak from personal experience, can act as valuable motivational speakers. However, if they primarily present warmed-up left-overs, their sermons will fail to act as catalysts for spiritual enlightenment that positively alters how you lead your life.

Jesus left a lasting mark on this planet because he embodied the truth he spoke, thus validating its liberating power.  He demonstrated that truth has to be applicable. He lived his life according to the Golden Rule that he incessantly referred to as the divine and universal standard of conduct. 

Had he remained silent, he still would have made an impact. His stellar personality earned him the love and respect of his inner circle to the point that his reputation preceded him. 

As you progress in your ‘religious’ experience, you will notice that it is so because you are active—no longer passive.  The cheerful ‘Follow Me’ of Jesus says it all.  Following someone implies that you take the necessary steps—you take action.

‘Follow me!,’ does not mean ‘Adulate me!;’ far from that.  Jesus made clear that he was the way—not that he was it!  As a wayshower, he spent his life fraying a Godward trail with the machete of truth. He was the first to walk it and reach the sublime destination he described with his words but disclosed through his actions.

You certainly can speak of your love for Jesus, but what would be most helpful would be to explain how you got to develop such a connection with him.  Through which actions do you connect with his Spirit of Truth?  What would Jesus ‘do’ in your stead?  If you turned to him for advice, what would he tell you?  His words always prompted positive action, thus leading to positive change.”