Shrines, Bird Feeders, Temples, & Decoys
June 7th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I like to tinker. I like to take current items that are already in existence and make them better. For instance, consider two of my creations from 2008:
Wireless Camera Bird Feeder – This is your typical bird feeder, except that it has a wireless camera fixed under the roof. Once you have the feeder and camera in place, you plug the transmitter into your television and voila, you can watch birdies and squirrels from your La-Z-Boy recliner. Not only is this appealing to those people who are unable to sit by a window for hours, but it is also attractive for sluggish people like myself.
Remote Controlled Turkey Decoy – With the help of an electrical box, a battery back, and some radio control parts, I created a turkey decoy that could be controlled from up to 50 yards away by remote. With only the push of a button, the device would swivel from right to left. Only later did I find out that such a gadget was illegal in Illinois. Thank goodness I only played around with it in my back yard and never used it for an actual hunting excursion.
I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, Chance has way to much free time.” While this may be a true statement, it is not my focus. The reason I share these contraptions is to illustrate a point. If I were to show you either of these items, you might describing them saying things like, “Hmm, that is an interesting idea that you have.” or “Neat. You spent a lot of time on those gizmos.” While you might appreciate the items themselves, the focus of your consideration would be directed toward the creator, since I had been the one who dreamt them up. In other words, you wouldn’t so much respect the invention as you would respect the inventor.
Why would this be the case? Because the item itself did nothing to create itself; the one who assembled it would deserve the credit. Now, with that background, read Paul’s words to the people of Athens in Acts 17:24,
He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples…
Paul’s audience in this passage worshipped many gods and had many shrines devoted to those gods. By implying that their gods lived in “man-made temples,” Paul was trying to get them to see the irony of the situation: the Athenians were worshipping something their hands had created, when in reality, they should have been worshipping the Creator of the “world and everything in it.”
All people should hand their lives to God based on what He has done (created the cosmos) and how He redeemed mankind (through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross). Nothing we create is worthy of worship. Shrines, bird feeders, temples, and decoys do not deserve our praise; only the Creator, Designer, and Architect of all things deserves our worship. Just a thought.
