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PBS
film critic and columnist Michael Medved has shared this anecdote out of
his Jewish heritage:
A few years ago, Rabbi Jacob Karmenetzky made a trip to Israel accompanied
by his teenage grandson. Ironically, these two deeply
religious people were seated in the airplane next to a prominent Israeli
socialist leader and outspoken atheist.
On the flight, the cynical atheist traveler couldn't help noticing the way
the teenage boy attended to the needs of his aged, bearded grandfather.
He got up to get the old man a glass of water, helped him remove his shoes
and put on some slippers, and otherwise demonstrated that the rabbi's
comfort represented his primary concern.
At one point, as the boy got up for yet another errand on behalf of
the old man, the atheist could contain himself no longer. "Tell me
something," he asked the rabbi. "Why does your grandson treat you like
some kind of a king? I have a grandson, too, but he wouldn't give me
the time of day."
"It's very simple," the old man replied. "My grandson and I both
believe in a God who rules the universe and created all things, including
the first man. That means that in the boy's eyes, I'm two
generations closer to the hand of God Himself. But in the eyes of
your grandson, you're just two generations closer to a monkey."
What you believe about the origin of man really does make a difference,
and it will manifest itself in how you act toward others. If we see
our origin as a matter of chance from that which is purely physical, then
we have no basis on which to assign value to others. On the
other hand, if we understand that we were created by a loving God, that
gives us all the reason in the world to hold others in high regard, and
gives us incentive to treat them with respect.
"Then God said,
'Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness.'..."
(Genesis 1:26)

In Jesus'
name, Amen.

 

This weeks
thought and comments comes from
Thought-for-the-day

a daily
devotional which you can
receive daily online by subscribing at:
join-thought-for-the-day@xc.org
It is created by
Alan Smith,
Boone Church of Christ,
Boone, NC

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