The Difference

Somehow, my kids picked up on a series of books written about modern kids of ancient Greek deities...which I am not going to mention by name, because there's currently a movie version of the first book in theaters and I don't want to trip search engines. It's an imaginative work, but something struck me as I read through the books along with my kids.

At every turn, for every request, the kids in these stories had to make sacrifices. From a portion of each meal, to gold coins, to spoils of war, the kids had to sacrifice to get the attention and favor of the gods...who, incidentally, were also their parents.

I've heard many folks say that most religions say the same thing...'Look at all the similar teachings!' they say, 'Surely there can't be that much difference between them!'

But it's not the similarities that matter. It's the differences. A counterfeit $20 bill is very, very similar to the real thing. But no matter how many similarities there are, it's not the same...and the differences are what prove it to be counterfeit.

Christianity has many similarities with other world religions...but there is a huge, glaring difference.

Like the kids in the books, virtually every other religion requires people to make sacrifices in order to gain the favor of their god.

In Christianity, God made the sacrifice to restore the relationship to people.

Every spring we are reminded of what God sacrificed in order for us to be able to come to Him. And in the midst of the pretty clothes, and the chocolate bunnies and the dyed eggs and the Peeps, I just want to say that I cannot begin to thank Him enough for what He did...not just for mankind, but for me.

God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. (Romans 5:8, The Message)

I don't have to offer a sacrifice... I just have to believe.