Are you who you say you are?

Have you ever heard of “Practical Atheists”? This is a category used by some religious theists to describe all those theists who technically believe in God, but who lives otherwise. The assumption is that moral behavior follows automatically from genuine theism, thus inadequate behavior is a consequence of not genuinely believing. Theists who behave differently must really be atheists, regardless of what they believe.

The term “Practical Atheist or Christian Atheist” is defined as someone who believes in God but lives as if He does not exist. Here’s the catch: We believe in Jesus enough to get us out of hell but not enough to change our way of living, and that’s the problem with Christians. People attend church for ten to twenty years and yet there has no change in their way of living. Seventy percent of Christians claim that they have made a personal commitment to God but seventeen percent feel that the local church is necessary for spiritual growth and only one in three Christians believes that God expects them to be holy. Very few professed to be atheist. Everyone seemed to believe in God, yet few of them spent much time seeking Him. They lived in recognition that there was a God, yet saw no connection between that belief and how they went on their daily affairs. They never considered God into their key decisions, or patterned their life after His values.

In Isaiah 29:13-14, the Lord said, “These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions. So I will startle them with one unexpected blow after another. Those who are wise will turn out to be fools, and all their cleverness will become useless.” It is clearly stated here that God does not want believers only by speech but not by heart. God wants us to be Holy!

Who says “I believe in God”, yet lives as if He does not exist? Well, the truth is, we are all guilty of this. Often times we say that we love God but we don’t want to go overboard. Most of the time, we settle to live through the world’s standards because we find it very tough to satisfy the standards of God. Even in prayers, we are actually being superstitious rather than being a believer. Jesus Christ didn’t just die on the cross so we can just say a prayer and live however we want. He died so that we, in return, would give ourselves to Him. Surrendering our lives to God is an “All or Nothing” decision. It is either we live happy and contented or unsatisfied and miserable. In Jeremiah 29:11-13, the Lord said, “I have plans for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.” If we really want to have a blessed and prosperous life, we must give our lives to God. We should start living through the Word of God and not through the world.

The Silversmith of mankind.

I have read this somewhere. I posted it here in my blog because I want you guys to take a little of your time and read this. It will uplift your spirits amidst all the trials that you are experiencing right now.

Malachi 3:3 says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

            This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement is meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

            That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest behind her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

            The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered, “Yes! I am not only had to sit here holding the silver, but I also have to keep my eyes on the silver the entire time it was on the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.” The woman was silent for a moment, and then she asked the silversmith, “How would you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy – when I see my image in it.”

            If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.