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Jan 26, 2026 06:00am

When Religion Looks Good but Is Still Hollow

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“Catherine, if this turkey tastes half as good as it looks, I think we’re all in for a very big treat!”

We all recognize that famous line from the movie Christmas Vacation. But it’s the moment that follows that has lived on in our minds ever since.

Clark slices the beautiful, golden-brown turkey, and immediately a plume of air puffs out from the top as the skin shatters.

It wasn’t what was on the outside that truly mattered—it was what was on the inside.

Galatians 6:15–16
“It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.”

As we close out the book of Galatians, Paul grabs the stylus from his scribe and writes these words with his own hand. His main goal in writing this letter was to refute the false teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and follow the Jewish law, in addition to accepting Jesus, if they wanted to be saved.

Paul makes it clear that it’s not about outward appearances or religious activity, but about the inward transformation that truly matters.

We can follow every law and try to do the most good, but unless the Holy Spirit is living within us, we’re just a dried-out turkey.

But here’s the good news.

Although it was too late for Catherine’s turkey, it’s not too late for us. Today is the day of salvation. If you’ve been trusting in your own works—your good deeds—to get you to heaven, you won’t get very far. The canyon between us and God is far too wide to cross on our own. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross can we be saved.

Let me share more with you. Go to follow.lifeword.org or follow.lifeword.org/spanish to begin learning more about the true way to heaven and what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. This resource is free and easy to use.

When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, He works from the inside out. He changes our desires, our goals, and our thoughts. It’s a complete transformation.

Trust in Him today.