Religious/Religion/Relationship

Am I a religious person? I don't think so. I don't like the connotations that go with "being religious" or "having religion" I don't think that Jesus wanted us to be religious or have religion but to have a relationship with Him and His Father. I have a relationship with Christ. I sit at His feet and listen to His words. I love Him and worship Him. I believe in all He has to offer so I anxiously want to share Him with others. I am not portraying myself as perfect and don't expect other christians to be. God knows we will make mistakes, if He didn't, then He never would have sent His son to give His life. He never would be the forgiving, loving God that He is. I believe the pharisees were what many "devout religious people" are today. They scrutinize and examine with their holy magnifying glasses trying to find every possible thing wrong with other christians. They try to make others forget that God is a loving, forgiving God and instead of passing out His promises they pass out guilt and condemnation. Jesus describes this perfectly in Matthew 15:8-9 after the pharisees accused their disciples for breaking the laws by not washing their hands. He quotes Isaiah by saying, " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." That's what I believe many of these religions come from, teachings made by the words of men instead of the words God. Satan uses condemnation to hold us back as christians and to make us feel guilty about not doing everything or following every letter in the Bible. I used to be that way, I used to feel so guilty thinking that the voice in my head that was telling me, "you didn't read enough of the Bible today, how can you witness to her or why do you call yourself a christian when you allowed yourself to get angry, you might as well be a sinner" was the voice of God. But according to the Word, we are set free from condemnation because of the love of Christ. We are loved so much that Jesus took all our condemnation and threw it away. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2. Let's look up to our Father and our Big Brother and allow them to wrap their arms around us and love us so that we are healed from guilt . When we naturally live in the spirit and walk with the love of God within us, we will automatically do what we are supposed to do and habits and sin will fall away.