A Useful Religion

"Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship."  I'm sure most of you have heard this statement, especially if you share the Christian faith.  This tidy definition helped make faith more than a meaningless ritual.  For some, it created an avenue out of the cold halls of legalism and "rule keeping."  While I still believe in the "relational" aspects of my walk with God, I wonder if my faith had any public usefulness to others.  We are taught to make time with God, one-on-one, to be very self-indulgent in the way we treat our faith.  But how useful is my life in bringing about the things of the Kingdom of God?  What does it mean to live a life, to have a faith that is good to the entire world?  Why do I follow Jesus?  Is it because I can punch my "reservation" ticket to the eternal banquet?  Is it because I have someone (God) who watches out for my safety, and when I do find myself in a bind, that someone (God) will help me and deliver me from that peril? 

Do you see the issue here?  Our faith can become so "me" oriented.  What's the use to the world if our faith is such that it only will apply to "me"?  I hope I can become someone who is can see past my concern with my own salvation and practice useful faith in our context and our world.