Gods Provoke Emotions

ALL – Psalm 147:1-20
ALL – Proverbs 18:4-5
OT – 2 Kings 15:1-16:20
NT – Acts 19:13-41

Interesting passage for the day: At this their anger boiled and they began shouting, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” – Acts 19:28, The Living Bible

Thought: People like to blame the world’s wars on religion. They push their blame a bit too far, but the charge is not without evidence. Passions get aroused by religion. And why not? If (since) there is a Creator God who oversees the entire universe and sent His Son to redeem sinful humanity, as I believe there is, He deserves the adoration of the world. People who believe in other gods likewise want their gods to be honored. And when a person’s god begins to be ignored, it is natural to try to draw attention back to the honor of the deity that person believes in. I am not advocating the harmful and violent methods that people have used throughout history to promote their gods—false gods don’t deserve such allegiance, and the true God who gives and takes every person’s life in His time doesn’t need our violence to achieve His goals. But I am trying to make a point: My God deserves my feelings. My God calls me to be reasonable, but not to such a point that I don’t care whether people love, respect and adore Him or not. I am to be His faithful witness, no matter what responses I get from those who deny my God’s authority and care for them. And the people I speak to are right (even if they respond wrongly) to take God seriously enough to respond not just with their heads, but with their hearts. God matters. Love Him or hate Him, but don’t think of Him with apathy.

Question: Do you love God? Do you care about God? Or do you just like to think of yourself as someone who loves God? What convinces you that you love God as you should?

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