“You are what you….eat!”  

That would make me a giant cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal!  Though I agree with the basic premise of that statement, I think it goes to far.  I submit that we are  NOT what we eat.  Rather, we are what we believe.

Isn’t that obvious?

When you hold certain facts passionately close to your heart, it has the potential to shape you into something you are not.  There is a transformative nature inherent in belief, much like an oak seed has the potential towering tree in it.  It doesn’t seem to really matter what you believe.  We become what we believe, for good or bad.

If one believes there is no God, that Jesus Christ was at best a misunderstood good guy, and that mankind evolved out of nothing, that belief will shape ones life.  How one lives, how they treat others, what they value most, what they pursue and the basic course of ones life is affected.  There are many wonderful people (by human standards) who reject a belief in God.  That rejection, doesn’t make them horrible human beings, but it will shape who they are and what they become.

Those who do believe in The Gospel, should have very transformed lives.  The very nature of the Christian life is designed to be an ongoing process of turning away and turning towards.  We are becoming more and more like Jesus Christ, and less and less like the person we were.  At least that’s His plan for us.

The Apostles Creed is a statement of what the people of God have believed about Him and His Gospel for centuries.  If one really believes the truths stated in it, it will transform our lives:

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
      maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
       who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
       and born of the virgin Mary,
       under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
       died and was buried.
       He descended into hell.
       On the third day He rose again from the dead.
       He ascended into heaven
       and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
       From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
       the holy Christian church,
            the communion of saints, 
       the forgiveness of sins,
       the resurrection of the body,
       and the life everlasting.
                         Amen

An anonymous 17th century theologian put it this way:

“Believing does not mean only consenting to the truth of the Creed, but also living like people who believe. Believing that God created us should lead us to give the service and obedience that creatures owe their creator.  Believing that Christ redeemed us should make us give ourselves over to him as his purchase, to be used fully in his service.  Believing in a judgement to come should make us careful so to live now that we will not be condemned in it.  And believing in the life everlasting should lead us so to use our short time here that our everlasting life may be a life of joy and not misery to us.  Thus from every sentence of the Creed we are able to find motivation for Christian practice.”

We are what we believe.  I end this post with a questioned posed by that great english philosopher Roger Daltry:

“Tell me, who are you?”

How does what you believe shape your daily routine?  Your overall vision for life?

Is there a disconnect between what you believe and how you live?  If there is, why do you suppose this is?