Today’s reading, Acts 7:35-53, has some similarities. Stephen was falsely accused of blaspheming Moses and God. When asked if the charges were true, Stephen responded, rather verbosely, that the Israelites had rejected God. To the high priests, that was worse than being told “You have bad breath!”
Stephen detailed many of the ways God was rejected. The Israelites made idols to worship .They worshipped the god Molech and honored its shrine. Perhaps worst of all, they failed to obey the law that was given them by God.
The Israelites had not put God first.
We may not worship other gods like the Israelites, but putting God first is difficult. In today’s mass media culture, we are daily barraged with messages that our lives will not be complete unless we have some product. Sometimes fear is used to sell a product. We certainly don’t want to look foolish to our friends and neighbors.
The advertising “world” knows how to appeal to our selfish side. We are all guilty of falling into the traps of the world and not putting God first. At times, we all have “bad breath.”
Stephen reminded the priests that God said, “Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?” God dwells on earth, not in man-made temples.
We put God first when we work to further his kingdom on earth. We do this by taking his message into the world for others to hear, by inviting a friend to church, by packing meals for the poor and so on. Our breath is fresh when we put God first!
Our lives are complete in Jesus Christ. We have nothing to fear, not even death. We can put God first. We can have fresh breath!
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