Lighting up the driveway ** He gives life breath and all things...

Acts 17: 24-25

²⁴ The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 

²⁵ nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;

Here in the book of Acts, Paul is in Greece, waiting for Silas and Timothy to accompany him. While waiting, he was in the synagogue and the market place reasoning with the people relating to them the truth that Christ is Lord of all,  where he points to an alter with an inscription to “An unknown god”

And begins to address the men with our verses today.

That He is the God who made the whole world and everything in it. He is the Lord of the land and the sky. He doesn’t live in temples built by human hands… He is the one who gives people life, breath, and everything else they need. He does not need any help from them. He has everything he needs.

So, let’s fast-forward back to the present, to our own lives with an honest look at our actions from day to day… Do we really believe this and do we believe that He is Lord of all, including us?

Do we pray to the Lord seeking His will for our lives? Or maybe we tend to see Him more as a kindly parent, who always consents to our desires and would never contradict us. 

Perhaps “a ruler or a King” is a difficult concept for us to follow, especially for us in the U.S. as we tend to think of our leaders as owing us something, or being there to serve us. The idea of someone who is to be followed simply because he has the position and authority, is lost on us since our minds are geared to a democracy.

But for those who have placed their faith in Christ for salvation, we have become His servants and acknowledged Him as King.  Therefore, we should follow and serve Him as King.  Not because He needs anything from us.

As I was preparing this devotion, I found the following story I’d like to share with you, no one knows the author, but it holds a great truth for us all...

“A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor.  The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general.  Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite.  Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

“When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering.  ‘You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones.  While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, it is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems.

He continued, ‘Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee.  In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink.  What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, yet you instinctively went for the best one.  Then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

“Now consider this: Life is the coffee and jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups.  They are just tools to shape and contain life.  The type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the life we live.  Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided for us.  You see, God brews the coffee, but He does not supply the cups.  Those choices are up to us.  Enjoy your coffee!’”

 

We must remember that He is our God.  We exist for Him, and we are His servant.  Let's live this in our everyday lives, by His power!  And put our confidence in Him.  Letting His Will be done in each one of our lives.