In Acts 14, Luke (the author) offers a one-sentence insight into an argument that would later be fleshed out in Paul’s brilliant theological diatribe to the Romans. After Paul and Barnabas heal a crippled man in Lystra (a city in Asia Minor), crowds of people mistake them for the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. They begin trying to sacrifice animals to the two visitors , which really distressed Paul and Barnabas. They rush into the crowds, tearing their clothes. They begin proclaiming a new God to them, the God who made heaven and earth and sea. In the midst of their desperate declaration, these words about God tear from their lips: “…He has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
Interestingly enough, Paul is talking to non-Christian or pre-Christian people. He’s not making the mistaken assumption that only Christians have joy: He’s merely saying that the regular, everyday joys we all experience are gifts from God and evidence of his nature. These pleasures or gifts stand alongside the trees and the oceans as evidence of a creator and giver.
So next time you’re tempted to disdain the secular or profane joys of the world, abstain. Instead choose to see God’s nature in all that is Good.
