Monday, October 23, 2006
AN UNKNOWN GOD?
The following was written by Steve Troxel of God's Daily Word Ministries.
When Paul was on his second missionary journey, he came to the city of Athens which was inhabited by people who loved to worship, and talk about their worship. They worshipped every conceivable god of their day and made sure no god was left out.
Acts 17:22-23 "Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: 'Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.'"
The people in Athens worshipped gods like Zeus, Hermes, and Diana. And to ensure they did not overlook any god, they also gave their worship to a god they did not know.
Today, many of us go through our life worshipping such gods as Pleasure, Leisure, Entertainment, Security, Power, and Wealth. Then, usually with much less intensity and commitment, we "worship" the Creator of the Universe. But our worship often becomes something we schedule and not something we live. We take part in religious activity, but have no idea how to make the Almighty God an integral part of our everyday life. We attend church services, but never give a thought to actually loving God or asking Him for guidance and direction. We go through the motions of worship, but our hearts are cold and far from the One True God.
We ALL must examine what we believe, and then live a life consistent with that belief. Many people profess belief in God - even the God of the Bible - but have no idea what this belief means or Who they really believe. They believe and then attempt to worship a God they do not know. If Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins, was resurrected, and now sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession on our behalf - if He will one day return and take us to be with Him for all eternity - then He certainly deserves more than our casual worship and the left-overs of our time.
Our Heavenly Father has been calling us back to an intimate fellowship ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden; and His message has remained the same: "Enjoy My creation, but give Me ALL your heart." He must be given sole possession, without any competition. The true Creator of the Universe will never accept just being one of our many "gods."
Let's proclaim the absolute and unchanging truth and encourage one another to "wholeheartedly obey the form of teaching to which you were entrusted" (Romans 6:17). Let's resolve to live a consistent life - a life of sincere love and faithful service - a life which no longer worships an unknown God.
When Paul was on his second missionary journey, he came to the city of Athens which was inhabited by people who loved to worship, and talk about their worship. They worshipped every conceivable god of their day and made sure no god was left out.
Acts 17:22-23 "Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: 'Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.'"
The people in Athens worshipped gods like Zeus, Hermes, and Diana. And to ensure they did not overlook any god, they also gave their worship to a god they did not know.
Today, many of us go through our life worshipping such gods as Pleasure, Leisure, Entertainment, Security, Power, and Wealth. Then, usually with much less intensity and commitment, we "worship" the Creator of the Universe. But our worship often becomes something we schedule and not something we live. We take part in religious activity, but have no idea how to make the Almighty God an integral part of our everyday life. We attend church services, but never give a thought to actually loving God or asking Him for guidance and direction. We go through the motions of worship, but our hearts are cold and far from the One True God.
We ALL must examine what we believe, and then live a life consistent with that belief. Many people profess belief in God - even the God of the Bible - but have no idea what this belief means or Who they really believe. They believe and then attempt to worship a God they do not know. If Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins, was resurrected, and now sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession on our behalf - if He will one day return and take us to be with Him for all eternity - then He certainly deserves more than our casual worship and the left-overs of our time.
Our Heavenly Father has been calling us back to an intimate fellowship ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden; and His message has remained the same: "Enjoy My creation, but give Me ALL your heart." He must be given sole possession, without any competition. The true Creator of the Universe will never accept just being one of our many "gods."
Let's proclaim the absolute and unchanging truth and encourage one another to "wholeheartedly obey the form of teaching to which you were entrusted" (Romans 6:17). Let's resolve to live a consistent life - a life of sincere love and faithful service - a life which no longer worships an unknown God.
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