Day 262: If It Isn't New, I'm Not InterestedActs 17:17-21
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Thoughts for Today:The headline of the ad jumped off the page: "New! Improved! The latest technology!" How many times have you read those words, and like me thought, if it's newer it must be better, right? It seems we have developed this consumerism mentality that only the latest and greatest will do. After all, aren't we learning and advancing more technologically every day?
A man saw me with my video camera recently and asked if I regretted buying it because the newer models had all sorts of added features and functionality. I smiled and thought about the all research I had done comparing brands, functionality, price, durability, consumer reports, and the like, before painstakingly deciding upon the one I now held in my hand. As I looked down at my camera, I answered, "No, I don't regret buying it when I did, because if I had waited any longer, I would have missed the opportunity to record my daughter's seventh birthday party."
The Athenians were similar in that they "spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas," as if it were enough to seek only. I wonder what they will do with what Paul has to say. Will they find their answer or continue to seek endlessly? Will they miss the opportunity to meet Jesus? We'll have to wait and read on to find out.
Questions to Ponder:We as Christians may not be seeking the latest thought on foreign gods (or "new age" beliefs), but we do have a tendency to fill ourselves with a lot of information about our faith. So my question for you today is not "What are you going to do about Jesus?" (because most of you have already accepted Him as your Lord and Savior). Rather, what are you going to do with the plethora of information you have accumulated over the years from Bible studies, sermons, devotions, the radio, etc. When does listening to the "newest, improved" Christian "thought of the day" give way to doing and application? Are you spending time in study but not enough in service? What have you already learned? When and how can you apply it? What opportunities are you missing to teach or serve others?
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Thoughts for Today:The headline of the ad jumped off the page: "New! Improved! The latest technology!" How many times have you read those words, and like me thought, if it's newer it must be better, right? It seems we have developed this consumerism mentality that only the latest and greatest will do. After all, aren't we learning and advancing more technologically every day?
A man saw me with my video camera recently and asked if I regretted buying it because the newer models had all sorts of added features and functionality. I smiled and thought about the all research I had done comparing brands, functionality, price, durability, consumer reports, and the like, before painstakingly deciding upon the one I now held in my hand. As I looked down at my camera, I answered, "No, I don't regret buying it when I did, because if I had waited any longer, I would have missed the opportunity to record my daughter's seventh birthday party."
The Athenians were similar in that they "spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas," as if it were enough to seek only. I wonder what they will do with what Paul has to say. Will they find their answer or continue to seek endlessly? Will they miss the opportunity to meet Jesus? We'll have to wait and read on to find out.
Questions to Ponder:We as Christians may not be seeking the latest thought on foreign gods (or "new age" beliefs), but we do have a tendency to fill ourselves with a lot of information about our faith. So my question for you today is not "What are you going to do about Jesus?" (because most of you have already accepted Him as your Lord and Savior). Rather, what are you going to do with the plethora of information you have accumulated over the years from Bible studies, sermons, devotions, the radio, etc. When does listening to the "newest, improved" Christian "thought of the day" give way to doing and application? Are you spending time in study but not enough in service? What have you already learned? When and how can you apply it? What opportunities are you missing to teach or serve others?
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