The source of life
Ahhhh! I love to take time to breathe slowly. Life can be so busy that precious moments like these are vital for solitude and reflection. It is in times like these I ponder the source of every breath. I consider the wondrous intricacies of my body and realize that even though it is not as young as it used to be, it is still a beautiful creation of the Almighty.
When I take this slow time, I usually come back to the same meditation and worship to the Almighty God saying, “God you are my Source of life. In you, I live, move and have my being.”
In Acts chapter 17 Paul is speaking to the men of Athens and he begins his discourse with these words, “…’Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:’ ” (Act 17:22-23 NKJV) When I read this passage, I reflected and I asked myself, “Am I religious? Have I replaced the one true and living God with religious rituals?”
Professing the Lord Jesus Christ for the last 20+ years of my life, and teaching the Bible to others for the last four years, I believe I know a few things about the Christian walk. That being said, in my experience there is a tendency to lose my childlike faith and replace it with head knowledge and facts of study and experience.
The Bible is actually full of people who could be labeled as religious. King David used his authority and took the wife of another man, killed him, and could not see his own wrong doing. Also, Zachariah who was a Priest, or a teacher of the word of God, did not believe the word spoken to him by the angel and had to be made mute so that his doubt would not hinder the will of God coming to pass. And last, but not least the Pharisees and the Sadducees who repeatedly rejected the words, signs and wonders of John the Baptist, and the Lord Jesus Himself. These teachers of the Law were so focused on their rituals; they killed the Messiah they waited generations to see. Have you ever found yourself not realizing it when you hurt someone else for selfish reasons, or missing God’s word when it’s right in front of you? I hate to admit it, but more often than not I have found myself in one of these categories.
As Paul introduces God to these men of Athens and explains why we were created, he goes on to say that God desires that all men earnestly seek for Him because, “…He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring. Therefore…we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.’ ” (Act 17:27-29 NKJV)
So then, the Almighty is the Source of all life. And no matter what my life has “taught” me thus far, or the rituals and idols I have created, they cannot and should not replace God in my life. Whether I know it or not, whether I acknowledge it or not, life is in Him. He is the Source. To have any other conclusion is in fact “religious.” In this, I am compelled to press on and focus on the wonders of the LORD and not limit Him to my life experiences and head knowledge.