th we packed the car and started our road trip to Spokane, Washington to attend the Northwest Christian conference. Our first stop was Bend, Oregon where our friend, Kathy Daniel, graciously provided us with one of her bedrooms for our overnight stay. I’ll never forget that night and how glorious it was to breathe in the cool, sweet smelling air that streamed into the room through the open window.
Whether I’m blowing on a dandelion or inhaling smoky air, every breath I take is a gift from God who sustains my life moment by moment. Even the ground I walk on is a generous gift from God because as Colossians 1:17 says:
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
In Acts 17:24-28, the Bible records a speech the apostle Paul gave to the people of Athens, a city filled with man-made idols. In his message to them, Paul attempts to divert their attention away from the physical idols they created with their own hands and look to the God who made the world and everything in it.
Acts 17:24-28 (New International Version)
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.
In his speech, Paul describes God in a way the Athenians can understand by comparing the greatness of God to the smallness of their man-made idols that they so carefully placed in their man-made temples. The God whom Paul describes is the one who made the world and everything in it. He refers to God as “Lord” of heaven and earth and the one who is too big to live in a temple that was built by human hands. This God gives life and breath and everything else. This God has marked out the appointed times in history of when and where they should live. Finally, this God desires a personal relationship with them and invites them to seek Him and reach out for Him and find Him.
Oh how small and trivial their idols must have appeared to them after Paul expanded their minds to look to the creator of heaven and earth.
Paul’s message is timeless. I can imagine Paul speaking these same words in 2018 to a university crowd, or a church group, or a room full of young business professionals. When I read Paul’s speech, I am reminded of how great God is and how small and trivial our man-made idols are in our lives. We rush around worried and preoccupied about our situations and important plans and activities and forget that with each breath we take, we are being sustained by the creator of heaven and earth.
I love verse Acts 17:28 when it says:
For in him we live and move and have our being.
So much is revealed about our need for God is this short sentence!
I can’t live without God, I can’t move without God, and in him I have my very being or existence.
I am so grateful to be alive. To simply inhale and exhale. To be able to pick up the Bible and read amazing passages like the one in Acts 17 that lift my mind off worldly man-made things and help me imagine the greatness of my God who treats me as his own offspring.
Meditate on Acts 17:24-29. Then close your eyes and inhale and exhale for five minutes, and be grateful for every breath you take. Your grateful heart will allow you to see the greatness of God.]]>
“The earth ? is the Lords, and everything in it….”
Psalm 24:1. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of who sustains our life!
I love your encouragement to stop, take a breath and be grateful <3. Gratitude on of those values that I continually need to work on. I tend to get blindsighted by all of the challenges in my life and work that I don't stop to look deeper and be grateful. Thanks for your message.
“I can’t live without God, I can’t move without God, and in him I have my very being or existence.”
Since I broke my wrist, I have true personal understanding of this line. I now realize what a blessing it is to be able to function with 2 hands. I took it for granted and I thank God continuously for all of the blessings such as breathing, walking, seeing, hearing ( I could just go on ….) that we are blessed with.
I am overjoyed and filled with gratitude daily . I am especially grateful for you Diane, who I Have always considered a dear friend, but also your wonderful writings and reminders of God’s presence in our daily life.
I’m grateful for you Debbie too.
How true when something is taken away from us, like the use of our hands, it can produce more gratefulness in our hearts for the simple ability to grab something with our hands. That is why I compared the clean air to the smoky air in this blog post. The smoky air produced in me a heightened sense of awareness of how awesome the air was in Bend, Oregon. I don’t think I would have noticed it as much if I didn’t just come from the smoky skies of the Rogue Valley.
Happy Saturday Diane.
This was definitely a good reminder of what is important in life, especially when last month my mom had a bad infection and almost died this time. She is doing much better, but still recovering from a bruise she sustained in the rehabilitation center from a careless worker.
When mom was in the hospital, three times the doctor did a CT scan on her leg, then stomach and gallbladder. Each time we were told if infection was positive and resistant to antibiotics, she would need surgery. (Surgery was not an option with her age and medical issues). So if surgery was needed, she would die. All three times, the CT scan was clear, negative. Thanks to many people praying. So continued antibiotics until infection was gone.
6 days in the hospital, 13 days at rehabilitation center.
God is amazing. I held my breath so many times and prayed a lot. God came through and gave mom more time on this earth to impact others.
At one point when I went to take her home on the 10th she was delusional and having hallucinations. I thought her mind was gone and I’d never have a chance to talk with her. I remember your times with your mom. I was so scared. I prayed, others prayed and after a day her mind was clear. Not sure if it was the meds or she was just scared.
I trusted God even when I was afraid. He carried us through this storm .. smoke …fire….I can breath again.
Thank you again for your sharing your life with us. Every time I read your messages, I am encouraged. Love to you and Lian. Kathy
Your mother has been through so much. She is so fortunate to have you as her daughter. Thank you for sharing and I’ll be praying for her and you.
Thanks. ❤