the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 4 of 5
Acts 19:23-41
There was at Ephesus a magnificent temple dedicated to the goddess, Diana (the previous temple was counted among the seven wonders of the ancient world). People visiting her, and the silver miniatures sold as souvenirs realised big profits for the craftsmen of the town. The preaching of the Gospel could only harm their business, so we see them banding together in order to protect their interests, by hypocritically giving a religious pretext to their action (cf. Revelation 18:11). Alas, how many people, instead of ardently searching for the truth, are kept back by material considerations of "wealth" (v. 25), or by the opinion of other people.
An enormous outcry is raised in favour of the goddess, proving only that she herself was incapable of demonstrating her greatness by conducting her own defence (cf. 1 Kings 18:26-29).
By thinking themselves more advanced and more enlightened than before, the world has only changed its gods – hearts have not changed. Idols of sport, of films or of songs – the crowds of today worship and follow those who are offered to them by the god of this world, past master in the art of leading souls astray.
