What God Knows

"And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed His offspring.’ Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.”

~Acts 17:26-31

I love the book of Acts and especially chapter seventeen. Having begun in Thessalonica, where the gospel was not well-received, Paul had been sent to Berea, and then taken to Greece, where he preached salvation through Jesus Christ, while all around him was man-made idols and people spouting off the latest in beliefs. Paul observed that the people were religious, and even had an idol dedicated to "the unknown god." These people, unlike those in Thessalonica and Berea, were seeking someone, something, some god to worship. Not knowing who the true God was, they worshipped whatever idol someone else said was the one to worship. They were far off the mark trying to fill the God-shaped hole within them but they were looking for something real to believe in.

Looking around the world today, I see the same thing. People are still trying to fill the God-shaped hole within them, yet they are doing it with false gods instead of the only true God, Jesus Christ. We see people following after musicians, movie and television stars, athletes, philosophers, authors, and other people who have no better answer than the person next to them. We see people lusting after fame and fortune with the belief those things will make them happy and fulfilled. Yet, for all the glamor in the world, for all the riches, bright lights, and glory from adoring fans, we see more depression and unhappiness than ever before. We will never feel content, complete, or fulfilled by the things of this world because those things are temporary and only make us happy for a moment. When the moment is gone, we move on to the next thing that will cure our ills.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21)."

"But godliness with contentment is great gain,  for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction (1 Timothy 6:6-9)."

I am not encouraged when I look at the world. In fact, I am pretty much disgusted by what I see. The lack of morals, respect, values, and work ethic on every level of society is abhorrent. And through my eyes, I see no hope, no future, or any way possible for things to change. However, my eyes do not see what God sees. My eyes cannot tell one thing from another, they cannot see the future, and certainly, I cannot see into the hearts of other people. But God can. He knows the deepest, most inner secrets in each of us. He knows the beginning to the end, and there is nothing hidden from Him. He knows how all of this is going to work out and which of us is on the verge of making the decision to stop following false gods, to start worshipping the one true God, and that is what I have to place my faith in. God is in control and He knows what He's doing.

"Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with You' (Psalm 139:7-12)."

Read 1 Kings 3-4; Psalm 139

©2018 Marie McGaha