Have Been Thinking: One True God

I had recently led in devotion at my workplace and God had showed me how life can sometimes be like being at the airport... there are so many airlines but which will in fact bring you to where you need to be? Similarly, in life, we are surrounded by "religions", worldviews, new age beliefs and how do we know that we are worshipping the one true God? Maybe I will reserve sharing the devotion for another time.

While reading my devotion this week, I was brought to Acts 17:16-34. There, Paul was waiting in Athens and observes how the people were worshipping idols (Acts 17:16) and instead of condemning them, his passion for Christ compelled him to reason with the people to draw them to God (Acts 17:17) even though it meant ridiculed sometimes or not being understood (Acts 17:18). Paul had wanted to proclaim the one true God to them (Acts 17:22-23). He made his case:

The One True God is not limited by temples and only live in it (Acts 17:24)
Think about it. If God is all so mighty, why is He only limited to buildings? Psalm 139:7-8 reminds us that "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

The One True God does not need sacrifices to be appeased (Acts 17:25)
The verse says it all... God does not need to be served by human hands as if He needed anything. After all, does He not own the whole world and gives man life and breath? Hebrews 10 reminds us that "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made)" (Heb 10:8). It goes on to explain how "those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb 10:3-4). The bible describes man as very forgetful, often forgetting who God is and how He had delivered them...

The One True God is not fashioned as an image or idol made by man (Acts 17:29)
God in the bible has commanded that He is to be revered and that man are not to bow down to any idols. Who has seen God and who can do justice to fashion Him with our thoughts of His image.

The One True God is not far from us and accepts us as His children (Acts 17:27-28)
God accepts us as His children, to bless and watch over... John 1:12-13 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." And man are being called children of God way in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 14:1) and several times in the New Testament e.g. 1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" This is perhaps a very bold preposition.

The One True God is a loving God (Acts 17:30-31)
God is a loving God and Father and allows man to repent as 2 Peter 3:9 reminds "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."And He gives us choice to choose Him and gave us His son as an indication of His sacrifice Hebrews 10:10 "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." And God calls out to all to be reconciled to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21:

"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

The One True God is in control (Acts 17:26)
God is always in control as He reminds in Isaiah 44:24 "This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself..." and Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..." But we are given a choice in life, just as Adam and Eve was given a choice and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God gives us the choice to choose to love Him or be apart from Him. He draws people to Him through those who are called by Him and who are willing to be a part of the ministry of reconciliation. But precisely how all these work together, I have no answer because Romans 11:33-34 reminds us "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" A similar case is being put forth in Job 38-41.

And as a result of God's children going about with the "ministry of reconciliation", some come to become followers of Christ, while some has yet to (Acts 17:32-34).

Again, I thank God for giving me the wisdom to pen this down within this short hour... I pray He will bless your hearts with it.