Zeus or Jehovah: Who is God? (an essay I wrote)

What kind of God do you follow? Is He infinite? Personal? Righteous? That’s the God I serve, the only true God. But there’s an interloper in our midst – Zeus, chief god of the Ancient Greeks. Zeus claimed to be all-powerful, wise, everything a god should be. How does he compare to the God of the Bible?

Jehovah, the God of the Bible, is infinite. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and omnipresent. He is not bound by time or space, or the laws of nature. He is above all the boundaries we are familiar with, because He created them. Can Zeus compare to this? Well, in a word, no. In contrast to God, Zeus is bound by time and space. He can’t be everywhere at once. He does, in fact, have to sleep. And he is not omniscient. The lesser gods have been known to go behind his back, do things against his wishes. Zeus gets mad when he finds out, but the fact is he didn’t know it was happening at the time and was powerless to stop it.
Jehovah, 1. Zeus, 0.

The God of the Bible is also a personal God. He listens to our prayers, which are like incense to Him. And our prayers do matter. God pays attentions to us and blesses us according to His wisdom. Besides this, God also has a personal, loving relationship with each and every one of His children. We can know God personally, and He willingly draws close to us when we draw close to Him. Zeus, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to care much for the thoughts or feelings of his followers. He isn’t bothered by lying to them, as in the case of Agamemnon’s dream at the beginning of The Iliad. Zeus sent the messenger Iris to Agamemnon, telling him he would have success in battle when in reality he was going to suffer defeat. Zeus simply used Agamemnon for his own purposes, disregarding the prayers and sacrifices Agamemnon offered up to him. And what about a personal relationship? No luck. When he isn’t causing trouble for the people, Zeus usually just ignores them and has a dandy time up on Olympus, eating and drinking and partying.
Jehovah, 2. Zeus, 0.

Jehovah is also completely righteous and holy. He always tells the truth, will never lead us astray, and will never sin. On top of this, He is unchanging. We never need to worry or be apprehensive because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes His mind because He never makes mistakes. Zeus? He’s as bad as a human, maybe worse. He is subject to all the same old sins, vices, and faults. He’s got anger issues. He’s unfaithful. He’s got an ego the size of Texas – with no legitimate claims to justify it. Not only does he have these problems, but he’s also driven by his emotions and whims. He’s known to change his mind frequently and unapologetically. In fact, you could say he’s about as stable as a gravel pile. In all these areas, the God of the Bible comes out ahead. He does what He says He does, and is what He says He is. He is worthy of all our praise and honor. Zeus doesn’t stand a chance.
Final score: Jehovah, 3. Zeus, 0.

Growing up?!

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.1 Corinthians 13:11

I've often felt like I was younger than I am. I've wondered whether I can ever accept responsiblity for myself or for others, and I've wondered if I'm ever going to actually grow up. Even though I'm 18, I sometimes still feel like I'm 10. All this time I've been waiting to grow up. Well, today I finally realized something:

Nothing will happen if I simply wait to grow up.

I have to do it on my own. I have to be proactive instead of sitting back and expecting things to happen 'naturally'. I have to look after my own future instead of hoping someone else will take care of things for me. I have to plan for my own life instead of assuming I'll get married and then my husband can take care of all that stuff. I have to learn, and grow, and mature, and that won't happen unless I start making it happen.

You've probably heard the saying "Good things come to those who wait." Well if you ask me, that's a load of bull. Good things don't come to those who sit on their thumbs waiting. Good things come to those who get up, get out there, and make it happen.

So I guess you could say that's my New Year's resolution. To get up and grow up by working hard and making some changes and taking responsibility for my own actions.