About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. (Acts 19:23-26)
In Acts 19:19 the Ephesians who practiced witchcraft showed God they loved him by burning their scrolls, worth about $4,000,000 in today’s money, containing spells and the how-to’s of practicing witchcraft. Sorcery was their livelihood, but they trusted God to for a new source of income.
The Ephesians led by Demetrius were unwilling to empty their pockets of silver gods and money.. They could’ve made silver jewelry instead of idols but were so unwilling to change they create a mob mentality against Paul by mixing partial truths with a trigger. They fought Paul and God to keep their pockets lined.
In this Christmas season we celebrate the gift of Jesus. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. God doesn’t need our money, so the only meaningful gift we can give in return is to become more like Jesus. What can you give up to honor him?
Father, I love You and praise You for the gift of Jesus. Give me the power of Your Holy Spirit to give up ____________ to honor You and become more like Jesus. In His name, I pray, amen.
I totally agree with you, God would like us to give up something that would make us more like Jesus. I think He would also like time devoted to Him in helping others, being His shepherd and spreading the word, time devoted to Him in prayer and reading the Bible. Besides giving up something to please God, there are also a lot of other perfect gifts that we can give Our Father.
What a great comment. You are right: there are many gifts we can give God that make us more like Jesus. Blessings, I prayed for you and your family today. I love you, Sis.