Five men from India were easily noticed as we stood in line at Incheon airport in South Korea. Each wore an orange robe and had a red dot painted on his forehead. We spent the night in a hotel inside the airport, but with sleep patterns still on Atlanta time, I woke up at 4:00 in the morning and decided to get up and walk around. On my walk I saw the Hindu men in a lobby area. They were sitting cross-legged on the floor with heads bowed in prayer or meditation. “These guys are dedicated”, I thought to myself.
Our first day in China, we visited a Buddhist temple where faithful monks with shaven heads chanted, burned incense, and tended the compound. At the end of the week, we traveled north of the city of QingDao and saw a Taoist temple strategically built to give spectacular views of the mountains and the sea. Just before leaving on our trip, I overheard a Muslim decline food and drink, saying he was in the middle of a forty day fast in observance of Ramadan.
Witnessing other religions being practiced brings a few thoughts to mind. First, I praise God for His brilliant plan to save the world. Man will never be saved by what he does… we can only be saved by what God has done. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Other religions in this world are based on the works of the religious, but God knows we can never reach Him by our own effort. ‘You must come to Me by faith. Trust My Son and I will give you life. Salvation will be a gift of grace that prevents you from boasting.’
I dare not arrogantly look down on the Hindu priests, who are simply practicing what they have been taught. Instead, I praise the Author of salvation, realizing that even my faith is a gift. He now tells me to love others the same way He loves me. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.” (John 14:16-17)
Do you think He would give us souls? Do we love enough to ask?
God’s truth exposes the deception of other religions, but probing questions easily come to mind. Do the Hindu priests love their false gods more that I love the True and Living God? Do the Buddhist offerings to an idol outshine what I offer Jehovah? Do the Muslim fasts and prayers to a false prophet exceed my dedication to the true Messiah?
What if I admit I don’t even follow Jesus’ greatest commands? What if I cannot honestly say I love the Lord with all my heart? What if I do not love my neighbor as I should? The true God simply tells us to be honest and humbly go to the Source. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30) What other God invites so lovingly and supplies so abundantly? Dare we go anywhere else?
If your love is lacking, ask and believe. “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” If your prayer life is weak, ask for grace. “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” If your offering to the Father is little, step out in faith and give Him what is most precious. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Because He first loved us, we can love Him. Shall we?
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3