Greenhouse Visit: Great Love, Rich Mercy
All other gods are disasters
The pagan gods of the first century were like a cosmic episode of Real Housewives of Mount Olympus: drama, drama, drama.
They were petty, demanding, petulant, mercurial, and exploitative of both people and each other.
So when Paul writes to a church in the land of the pagans that the God Jesus shows us is motivated by “great love” and “rich mercy” it was a breath of startlingly fresh air (see Ephesians 2).
It’s still startlingly fresh air. Because there are still plenty of gods floating around the 21st century spiritual atmosphere.
And they, too, are petty, demanding, petulant, mercurial, and exploitative.
For today’s Greenhouse Retreat visit, take a couple of minutes to reflect on these questions:
Think about the various gods that people around us are serving: money, applause, control, lust, ambition, independence, power, success, vanity, etc. List the ones that you see the most often around you.
Which ones are you most tempted to serve and worship? Star those.
Let’s think about those as actual gods. If you were going to describe their motivational structure, their goals, and what they demand from their worshipers, how would you describe it?
How would you describe what those gods offer in exchange and what happens when their worshipers give themselves over as fully devoted disciples?
Using the descriptions from this passage, other Scriptures, and your own words, how would you contrast the character and goals of the God that Jesus shows us?
This is just one thread of questions from this month’s always free Greenhouse Retreat: From Scarcity to Abundance. Click here to access the rest.
Greenhouse Retreats: helping you to create conditions ideal for long-term fruitfulness.
Happy flourishing y’all,
Alex
P.S. Here’s the link again to this month’s Greenhouse Retreat—download it and print it out and use it for a 3-6 hour retreat day or just do a little bit each day.