Practical Atheists

September 29, 2022
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Exodus 20:15, Psalm 119:143-144

“Thou shall not steal”. Seems pretty up front and practical at first look, and yet I have discovered lot’s of ways to steal. Not meaning any harm, or so I thought, but just believing that it didn’t mean that much to anyone. As a friend of mine would say, “Back up the train Loraine and take a second look”. Why would God deem it necessary to include this command among his top 10? Again, I see God’s practical application of his word and his love in this one as well as in all the others; “I want you to understand and believe that I am the One who will supply all your needs. I don’t want you to have to scheme, manipulate, and deceive to obtain things. For then what would you become? A schemer, a manipulator, and a deceiver. I don’t want you to feel responsible for securing your own future” (pg. 196 The Tender Commandments by Ron Mehl). Most of us, if we are honest, can probably account for times when we were young, and maybe even times when we were not so young, that we thought it ok to either take something that didn’t belong to us, or not return something we borrowed (I have a sledge hammer in my garage right now that needs to go back to it’s owner, thank you Lord, for the reminder ).

As followers of Christ, we are to be witnesses of our faith in all things. Things spoken, things unspoken, things we do, and things we don’t do. That would be a definition of life application for the faith we profess. And yet, we can find it easy to excuse away the practice of stealing. I know I had to learn early on that there are dire consequences for taking what does not belong to me. I will be forever grateful to my mother who was wise enough to allow me to see for myself that the balloons that I shoved up my sweater in the grocery check-out line were not mine, and when she asked me to bend down and pick up something that somehow landed on the floor, oops, out dropped the balloons. I bet you can guess what followed. My mother told me in front of the clerk that I should know better than to steal, and I owed the clerk, the store manager, and the next ten shoppers who came through the door and apology.

In practice for many today, that lesson was not learned early on. Taking office supplies, not paying back what we borrowed, not participating in the ministries of the churches we attend are all outward witnesses that perhaps we don’t really believe our God supplies all our needs. On that last one, Pastor Ron Mehl says this; “My mom always taught me that you’ll be able to do more with the 90 percent of what you have than if you withheld from the Lord and tried to spend the 100 percent. The reason people steal is because they’ve forgotten about God. He isn’t even part of the equation in their lives. Whatever they believe, or say they believe, they are practical atheists, living as though He did not exist” (pg. 207). In this troubled world, we sure could use more of God’s wisdom to guide and direct us. Psalm 119:143-144 says; “Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Your statues are forever right; give me understanding that I may live”.

Time for me to return that sledge hammer

AMEN