This past Friday evening, my wife and I went to one of the main art museums in Houston.The exhibit of the month was Pompeii and the celebration of Roman art from early B. C. to the 17th century. The museum was featuring lost and recovered artwork from the eruption of Pompeii.As we approached the large stone floor entrance, we were greeted by the enormous sculptures of marble and slate. The museum featured more than 56,000 works of art, covering a total of 300,000 square ft. of space. We encountered many figurines and life-sized works of art. The most impressive, were the sarcophaguses and decorative royal burial tombs. The carved artwork was in fancy detail without blemish.

We ventured to the second floor to find other life sized sculptures and paintings. Many of the sculptors were idols from the Babylonian period enclosed in protective glass. The hues of color shined blue-gray from the overhead lights. As we were studying the molded images, I had discovered that most of them were small and hand sized. I became curious to understand how someone would fasten themselves an idol in the first place. The more I looked at the artwork I began to wonder of man's temptation to fall in love with its beauty. However, from the bottom of my heart was a voice that cried: why?!

Creating a piece of art in itself is a beautiful thing. What I could not fathom was man who is made by God, was making something else to worship other than God. I was reminded by the stories of Moses in Exodus, when the people casted for themselves images. They traded the worship of God for the worship of man. Because they could not see God, they worshiped a visible image that was lifeless and could not deliver.The more I studied the idols in the museum my heart sank. I was filled with compassion for these people from long ago, who put their trust in worthless images. All I kept thinking about were the words from Scripture that compared the worshiping idols to Almighty God.

Psalms 115:4-8 says, "they are idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see.They have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them."

It was an amazing moment to stand before the very idols that God was talking about, as the fear of God ran through my spine. As quick as I could catch my breath, I was uttering praise to God. Thanking Him that he is the Almighty God who is holy. He is clothed in majesty and justice, not earthly stones or decaying wood. He is the Light of all creation, of all men and yet became flesh on our behalf. There in the museum, I worshiped God. Our God, who always speaks with his mouth, sees through his eyes, hears with his ears: all of our prayers, thoughts and praises. He not only knows our needs, but knows what we ask before it is ever on our tongue. He is a God refuge, a song of deliverance, the God of mercy, grace and love. Most of all, he is the living God. Praise to His holy and awesome name! Again, I wondered at the fact, of how man being created by God, worshiped creation rather than the Creator.

How foolish. Read this section of Scripture from Isaiah 44:
9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. 10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing? 11 He and his kind will be put to shame; craftsmen are nothing but men. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and infamy. 12 The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. 13 The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. 14 He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. 15 It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm; I see the fire." 17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god."

My wife and I concluded that our culture today, does the same but in different ways. The world worships things of the world: money, sex and power. Like Scripture says, how can a young man stay pure in this world? We need to keep close the Word of God. Like what Peter says, we live as journeymen - strangers in this world, living before Holy God. The world thinks we are strange because we do not run in the same flood of dissipation (1 Pt. 4:4). We need to reflect the praise of God and the worship of Christ through our actions and relationships with others. It is here, where Jesus said in John 13:35, by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. This is where we find God's work of art: love for mankind and love between mankind. We on earth are the living images of Almighty God. We are the work of his fingertips; we were formed by his very breath that gave us life. Man made idols are without life, hope and resilience. It is a sad but true statement when the Bible says: those who make them are like them, as well as those who worship them.

 How can our lives today be a work of art that reflects the love and life of Almighty God?When people look at you, do they see the Master's mark of craftsmanship? Do they also see the etchings of hardship and determination?Moreover, do they see the polishing of mercy and grace that once were cracks and crevices? As we are a work in progress, may our worship be to the Creator who is worthy of worship. May God's artwork of love shine through you to touch people with the peace and hope of Christ.