For in Him we live, move, and have our being

“for in Him we live and move and have our being, …”

Acts 17:28a

When Paul was travelling through Athens, he noticed that among the many idols the people of Athens worshipped, and not wanting to leave any out, they paid homage to “The Unknown God”.  Paul decided to proclaim to them “the One they worshipped without knowing”.  He explained how this God made the world and everything in it and dwelt in a temple not made with hands.  He also made all the nations from one blood.  Paul spoke of how this God wanted to be attainable to His people, that we “…might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him do we live and move and have our being…”

Yes.  Our identity is in Him and from Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5b). When we attempt to live move and have our being without Him we are setting ourselves up for failure.  God created us and delivered us from our fall from grace.  He in fact gave us a way of escape…a way back to Him, through the death, burial, and resurrection of His son Jesus.  We know this because the handbook that He provided for His beloved creation, the Bible, tells us so.  As His creation, His purposes and plans for us are laid out in the handbook.  What a good God He is to us!

Even after Jesus’ ascension to His right hand, He never left us lonely.  He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us and be with us always.  The Holy Spirit continues to reside within us to help us to understand the handbook and to utilize the treasures found within it.  Treasures like the gifts of the Spirit and the weapons of our warfare.  The strategy for success is found in making sure that our living, moving, and being is done in Him.  And that we aren’t trying to accomplish any of this in our own strength no matter how strong the temptation. God can’t be relegated or compartmentalized to certain areas of our lives.  He wants to be a part of our whole world and know us in our entirety, not just when and where we allow Him access.

I for one am grateful that He is an all or nothing God.  Being a kingdom citizen, I need every bit of Him and all the benefits that come out of relationship with Him to make it in this crazy world.  Let’s remember that we don’t have to go it alone.  His Spirit is always with us and everything we stand in need of can be found in Him.

Be blessed!