We have a witty family friend who says something that always makes me laugh. Whenever he hears a statement lacking logic or wisdom, he says, “Say that 3 times & see if it still makes sense.”
It seems like a snarky statement, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it ring true!
The apostle Paul travels all over tarnation telling anyone who will listen about Jesus. Acts 19 tells us that as he spends time preaching in Ephesus, a solemn fear descends on the city & the name of Jesus becomes greatly honored…so much so that Greeks & Jews alike turn from their wicked ways, burning 7 million dollars worth of sorcery books!
Troubles arise, however, when a wealthy silversmith suddenly sees sales plummet & here’s why: Ephesus houses the temple of the Greek goddess Artemis & he is the primary supplier of the little silver gods people buy & now they’re not buying!😬
In his zealous anger, he incites a mob large enough to fill a colosseum & it all starts with this sentence:
“But as you’ve seen & heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t gods at all…”
If I could add a sound here, it’d be the backward scratch of a record 😂 Say it 3 times & I think you’ll see why.
He persuaded many that handmade gods aren’t gods at all?!
Well, duh!🙄 If gods need human hands to make them, then how can they be gods?
Even as I roll my own eyes, however, I am reminded how everything this side of heaven, whether we craft them with our own hands, or they are a gift OF God, has the potential to become an idol-like god if we let it.
It’s why we need to surround ourselves with a community of believers who’ll love us enough to call us out when our decisions, words & actions lack logic!
Lord, You delight in those who fear You & put their hope in Your unfailing love. Anytime we fear anything more than You, we’ve let that thing creep into the God-shaped hole in our hearts that only You can fill!
Guard us from crafting our own handmade god. Bring to mind anything we worship more than You so we might rid ourselves of it with the same zeal of the Ephesians when they torched their books! We place our hope in The Living Hope who handmade us in His image!
2 KINGS 15:1-16:20
ACTS 19:13-41
PSALM 147:1-20
PROVERBS 18:4-5
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