Crosswalk: Active Word - June 25, 2011

Crosswalk www.crosswalk.com Active Word - June 25, 2011 25 Jun 2011, 5:00 am June 25 Who made whom? For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Psalms 96:5 (NKJV) But. This three-letter word is a window into the grand concept of contrast. It compares two things and sets them apart from each other in forceful fashion. That's never more evident than in the verse above, where the gods of the nations that were scattered around Israel are compared to the "LORD" (literally Jehovah), the God of Israel. During biblical times, every people group or culture outside of Israel gravitated towards the worship of some form of deity, and there were a lot to choose from. There was Yarikh, the moon god. Sheger, the cattle god. Ithm, the sheep god. Hirgab, the eagle god. Dagon, the fish god. Aten, the sun god. Babi, the baboon god. Quebi, the god of the north wind. And on and on and on. But as diverse as all these other gods were, they all had something in common: They were all by-products of man's imagination. Man would observe something that already existed in nature and attach a divine personality to it, complete with a name and appearance. He would then try to preserve all of this by carving a statue to represent what he'd imagined. In essence, men made these gods. In sweeping contrast, we're told "But the LORD made the heavens." And not only that, He also prohibited men and women who worshipped Him to carve or create any statues that might represent Him. Why? Because He wanted the contrast to be clear: He wasn't like all the other gods that were imagined and made by men. He was the God whose nature can't be captured by human imagination and who made the heavens along with everything in it, including man! As the word "but" reminds us here, the God of the Bible is unlike any god mankind has ever imagined or fashioned. He stands apart in complete contrast, He's the Maker of all things, and He's made man in His image…not the other way around.  Think About It… What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today? SPECIAL OFFER New 365 Devotional Volume 2 God's mercy is new every day. That's because it's needed daily. So to help you walk through a fresh new day, the Active Word has put together this second volume of the 365 Devotional.  Our hope in creating this series of devotionals, is to help you connect with God's Word 365 days a year. And the best thing is, you can start any day of the year. Stay in step with God's Word, His will, and learn to live out your faith, daily.   You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.