Waterfall of the Gods

By Brenda Wood | Author and Speaker Tweet

Devotions | Sunday, October 07, 2012

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Because Thorgeir Thorkelsson was a respected citizen, the Icelandic parliament gave him the responsibility of deciding Iceland’s future. He huddled under a fur blanket for more than 24 hours and then announced that Iceland would become Christian.

So in the year 1000 A.D., Thorgeir, a pagan priest, took his pagan idols and threw them into a large Icelandic waterfall, which is now known as Waterfall of the Gods (Icelandic: Goðafoss). The people abided by Thorgeir's decision and were baptized; thus ended a possible civil war before it began.

I’m interested in all things Icelandic because that’s my heritage. But I have to ask if every Icelander ended the civil war in their hearts, the one between guilt and freedom. Unless they individually entered a personal relationship with God, this would not be possible.

Getting baptized doesn’t make you a Christian, anymore than holding a bag of milk in your arms makes you a refrigerator.

John 3:3- Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God (AMP).

Prayer: Father God, don’t let us fool ourselves into thinking that baptism or church attendance gives us relationship with you. In Christ. Amen.

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