Christ or Religion

'And by the way he asked His disciples, saying to them, Whom do men say that I am?'
This question has perhaps come to your mind or even troubled you, some time or another.
Let us imagine that the Lord Jesus Christ met you by chance in the road and put this qestion to you,
what would your response be? Would you make the sign of the cross and then run away? Would
you tell Him that you attend church regularly or something similar? What is it that leaves us at ease
when we talk about religion, yet when the subject turns to the person of Christ the average person's
attitude changes to one of discomfort and embarrassment?
I have often wondered why the Lord Jesus put this question to His disciples. Did He want to assure Himself of what people thought of Him or did He want to embarrass His disciples and show them how ignorant they were? I feel that the reason behind this question is the same in our days. You see
His people and nation (the Jews) who were at ease with their religious observances and devotions,
proved that they were not really willing to have Him in their midst. The Cross showed that clearly.
Dear reader, what about you? Do you feel comfortable with your religion, your churchgoing and
quasi christian customs and beliefs, but are not willing to accept Him as Lord and Saviour of your life?
We are not usually troubled much about religion but we often come to a standstill whenever we have to face the Lordship of Christ. Why? If we choose to invite Him to become the Lord of our lives it
means that our ego has to go and our will take the back seat. You may think now that this is a hard
thing to achieve and almost impossible to do, yet it can be done. The God who asks to be the Lord of your life promises to manage your life in a much better and effective way than you can.
Why then can He not do it?
Remember, because at creation He gave man the free will to choose and decide, He cannot now intervene in your life and take that freedom away. The choice is yours. You have to invite Him into your life.