Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and
earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord,
if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. - (Act 17:22)
Paul gave us much to consider when he spoke to the Athenians. He makes the point that God cannot be contained, nor can we offer him anything he has not already given us. He has given us light, stars, the sun and moon, and the world of earth, sky, and sea. He inhabited the land and sea with plants and animals and then created man and woman. He gave them free will to seek him. They would surely find him as they sought to understand the world in which he created for them.
All God asks for in return is our devotion to him. He could have made us like the angels, without free will, but he didn't. Just like we want someone to choose to love us, he wants us to choose to love him. It is a more rewarding kind of love than one that is perfunctory. In fact, the Bible repeatedly states that God despises hypocrisy.
Some of us who don't worship gold, silver, or stone today might be feeling a little smug. Yet, we worship other things in our culture. If we look at what we spend the most money or time on, that will tell us where our faith is strongest. Do we spend more time watching television, for example, than praying for others or worshiping God?
Prayer : Almighty God, help me be more mindful of where I place my hope. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."
"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." - Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV).
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Politics: Without character and ethics, capitalism and democracy cannot survive for the long haul. Lying, cheating, cooking the books, irresponsibility, self-centeredness are self-destructive. We always reap what we sow—even if it is eventually.
Same is true with politics. Perhaps as never before we urgently need capable politicians; and I am thankful for those who are genuine, responsible, honest, and have at heart the best interest of the people they serve—not necessarily giving them what they want, but always seeking to provide, wherever possible, what they genuinely need. Today, unfortunately, the word "politics" has become a dirty word because of those politicians who are more interested in serving themselves and doing all they can to stay in power by catering to the wants and special interests of the majority of their constituents—or to please those who give them the most financial support. Then there are those who shamelessly blame others for the very problems that they themselves helped to create; those who lie, get caught, and call it a misspeak; those who look to dig up dirt to destroy their opponent; and others who spin their reports to make them say what they want them to say.
Unfortunately, some people are like this too. We're like "two birds that fly over our nation's deserts: One is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture. The vultures find the rotting meat of the desert, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do."
If we look for the good in others, that's what we'll find. If we look for dirt, that's what we will find. The same principle applies to people's view of God. If we want to see him we can—everywhere we look. If we don't want to see him, we won't. The fact remains, people see exactly what they want to see, hear what they want to hear, find what they want to find, and do what they want and choose to do.
As Frederick Langbridge said, "Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars." What you look for is what you will see and what you will get.
Prayer: "Almighty and Loving Father God, please help me to be honest with myself and with you so that I will see more clearly the truth as it is and not as I want it to be. And, while not being blind to deception, help me to look for stars and not for mud. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."
