Many things in life can take God’s place. You can let a child, boyfriend, girlfriend, work, dreams or anything in life take God’s place. It becomes a god; all that you put your best efforts and dedication to what you serve with your energy, time, money and that you seek above yourself.

 

When someone does not have a relationship with the true God, they put something else in God’s place. That’s what you need to understand. The human being cannot live without God. Usually, the god of the “atheist” is science, their own knowledge. Everyone has a god because God gave faith to the human being, so they have to put it in something or someone.

 

Religion proposes to connect the man with God. But what about when this religion, instead of putting the man in contact with God, places them above God? Usually, a religious person will not see this. They declare faith in God but do not realise that their god is the religion they embrace.

 

“And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him” (Mark 3:1,2).

 

The religious Jews were watching the Lord Jesus.

 

“And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” (Mark 3:3).

 

Jesus wanted to expose the hypocrisy of those men and brought that man into the crowd.

 

“Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent” (Mark 3:4).

 

This usually happens when religiosity, the fruit of the human mind, is put in check by Divine intelligence: they are silenced. Human beings must seek God with faith and intelligence, in spirit and in truth.

 

The Lord Jesus questioned those religious men.

 

“And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him” (Mark 3:5,6).

 

Did you understand? The religious were unhappy with the healing of that man, who had a severe physical problem. Do you know why? Because Jesus did this on the Sabbath, disobeying their law. And they didn’t understand what Jesus wanted to show: that man is greater than the Sabbath.

 

Because of religion, people generate problems, separate from family, change their clothes, develop a dirty heart, and do what the devil likes. What God seeks is truth, sincerity, and intelligent people.

 

Those who only seek God with faith become a fanatic. And those who only seek God with intelligence become an atheist. That’s why you have to seek with faith and intelligence. Because God gave us both things.

 

Meditate on this through the video above.