"In you we live and move and have our being" - word lyrics written with music by Philip Jakob in his hymn, "O Lord, we are always in your presence" which echo Paul's words in his sermon to the Athenians (Acts 17:28 NIV).
What do those words mean to you today? What do they mean to me...?
Well as I read the bible verse again today, together with the lyrics of the hymn, I am reminded of God being the creator and sustainer of life, and how God's presence is all around us... that we can sense God's presence, if we just open our hearts and minds.
However, whilst there is so much beauty around us to be enjoyed and acts of compassion and love, there is also so much pain and darkness. I do wonder whether the audience that Paul was speaking to with their idols, is not too dissimilar to our modern society with the desire for money, possessions, status, power, comfort, anywhere where energy and hope is placed in these temporary things.
In him, (God) all things hold together and despite our reluctance to place ourselves in God's care and timings within our lives, or even understand what God's plans are for us, we need to, like a young child is dependant on their parent(s), depend upon God. We cannot or shouldn't want to make God an after thought or an "add-on" to our lives or indeed chase worldly things making them more important than our relationship with God.
To live and move with him and have our being...can be more difficult, yet rewarding as life can possibly be.
It means for me that when I eventually get up each day to face whatever the day brings, my actions must be done in love, because God loves me... to try and do right each day, to be honest, to remember that each day is a gift, that I should aim to be more Christ-like in my thinking and want to bring glory to God in all I say and do. Do I always get things right? - No. When I don't get things right, will I stop trying ?- No. Whatever I do, does God stop loving me? - No.
May I be bold and continue to preach the Good News and remember each day that I am called to love God with all my heart, and all my soul and with all my mind and with all my strength, and to love my neighbour as myself.
To live and move and have my being with God can be summed up in word's from John Wesley;
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."
Perhaps today, you could reflect too on where you place your heart and mind? Do you experience God's presence around you or in other's ? Give thanks to God and think about how you too can bring Glory to God in your every day lives, and to live, move and have your being firmly placed in God's hands.
© Stephen Allen Aug 2023
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