…so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’…” vss. 27-28a
Acts. 17:26-31
Paul believed that God had brought all people into existence and that it was human nature to search for God, and that occasionally our groping would be successful. Since God is not far from any of us, how could it be otherwise? In fact we live and move and have our being in God. This is a teaching to hang on to. God doesn’t live in a region beyond the edges of the universe called “Heaven.” God is here now, and we can never escape God’s presence. But that doesn’t mean that all people have an awareness of God! For many, God is little more than a word, an idea or concept that humans have invented to explain things they can’t understand. Eventually, they say, once we’ve attained all knowledge there will no longer be any need to even use the word “God” anymore. Paul would have scoffed at such primitive thinking. For him God is everything that is and more. That means we will likely have multiple God encounters throughout our lives, and some folks will consciously walk with God every day. Of course our best looks at God still come through our Jesus glasses, and focusing on Jesus will give us a glimpse of God that is always up close and personal.
Thought for the Day: When is my God consciousness most acute?
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