4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
What "gods" we serve that are not gods! It could be the god of ambition, of power, of prestige, or wealth. The god of self is one that we battle each and every day. I believe an idol is anything, or anyone, that we put ahead of the one true God and our Lord Jesus Christ. In our devotion to God, we isolate those things that are not pleasing to Him, confessing and renouncing them, bringing our lives into submission to the Lordship of Christ, so that He alone is exalted through us.
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There is overwhelming evidence for the existence of God - in many ways, He has made Himself clear to humanity. Romans 1 says:
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
His invention has brought people together in a virtual way, and now the founder of Facebook wants to get together face-to-face. Mark Zuckerberg has made a series of announcements recently, including voicing his intention to have visited every state in America by the end of 2017.
The BBC reports that he posted on Facebook that "this year's personal challenge is to 'have visited and met people in every state in the US.'" He needs to hit about 30 states to reach that goal. The article points out that previous "New Year challenges have included running 365 miles, reading 25 books and learning Mandarin."
He wrote, "After a tumultuous last year, my hope for this challenge is to get out and talk to more people about how they're living, working and thinking about the future."
The BBC notes that this announcement might be consistent with speculation that the social media guru may want to run for President. In fact, USA Today just published a story that says that Zuckerberg told BuzzFeed News that he is not running for the nation's highest office. In its story, USA Today, in referring to Zuckerberg's announcement that he intended to visit all 50 states, stated:
That announcement followed revelations that Zuckerberg persuaded the Facebook board to allow him to retain control of the social media giant even if he takes a leave of absence to serve in the government or political office. On Christmas Day, Zuckerberg said he was no longer an atheist, another signal to some that he was considering a run for office, perhaps even president.Now, there's some serious news here. But, don't get too excited - he may have left atheism, but it's unclear what he may have embraced. The BBC referred to a Quartz story, which said:
Zuck wished his friends a “Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Priscilla, Max, Beast and me!,” to which one user replied “Aren’t you an atheist?”
“No,” Zuckerberg responded. “I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important.”At the end of his Christmas message, Zuckerberg stated: “May the light of your friendships continue to brighten your life...and our entire world.”
According to the story, he had stated on Facebook back in 2015 during a visit to China that he...
"...offered a prayer for peace and health for the world and for my family” in front of Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an. “Buddhism is an amazing religion and philosophy, and I have been learning more about it over time,” he wrote on Facebook at the time. “I hope to continue understanding the faith more deeply.”The Huffington Post reports that Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan, is a Buddhist.
Last year, the Facebook founder and his wife met with Pope Francis, where they discussed, according to a Vatican spokesman quoted by Catholic News Service, "how communications technology can be used to alleviate poverty, encourage a culture of encounter and help deliver a message of hope, especially to the most disadvantaged people."
Well, you don't want to make too much about this, but you do have to be encouraged that a high-profile atheist is willing to make the declaration that he is renouncing atheism. But, after all, the evidence is everywhere that there is a God. His creative design, including how each of us is made, is very apparent. Then add in how you have actually seen and experienced the hand of God move in people's lives. The case is certainly compelling, and, on a personal note, quite overwhelming.
I also want to return to a concept I have put forth in the past - we never know how God might be working in a person's life to bring that person to Himself. I think there's a tendency to categorize a person and then write him or her off regarding the possibility of them accepting Christ. I am thankful that God doesn't write any of us off - He is constantly at work, and I believe that His Spirit is drawing everyone to come to a saving knowledge of Him. And, we can be sensitive for the Spirit to perhaps use us to speak of or demonstrate the love of Christ, so that seeds would be planted that would result in a harvest of salvation. You might say that the founder of Facebook is "dabbling" in religion, or that he has an appreciation of religious practice, but it might indicate an open heart, a heart that the Lord would be more than willing to fill.
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