Friday, July 8, 2016

Acts 17:26-28 -- On Finding the Lord

"And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
Acts 17:26-28


This is Paul speaking to the people of Athens.  Right before this he explains how God is different from idols, and here he basically is talking about humanity's relationship to God.  I like some of the specific things that he points out here, that all nations are of one blood, that God is not far from any of us, and that we are God's offspring.

Paul also mentions here that he has determined "the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation" which I think is referring to that same sort of thing as "their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less" (D&C 122:9).  God is in control.  He has a plan, and it *will* come to pass.  No one will be allowed to go far enough that they can mess it up. :)

I like the idea that a lot of our purpose here is to seek the Lord.  To learn to recognize his spirit/voice (feel after him), and discover him in our own lives.  It takes dedication and effort, not just a quick and mostly thoughtless 3 second prayer.  All prayer is valuable, don't get me wrong.  But building a relationship with God takes more than brief chats or a one-time deep conversation.  We have to get to really know him, and learn to love him... and realize and know that he is our Father.

Today, let's seek the Lord.  Let's remember that we are all one blood.  Let's think about what being the offspring of God means in our lives, and let's be confident in God's plan, which cannot be upset.

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