Acts 17:24-25 English Standard Version

²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵ nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

We often tell ourselves we are created to serve God. Here in this passage it says otherwise. It is not meant to give us a proper understanding of our condition for we are in Christ. To understand these passages we must get back to the basic understanding rules of scripture.

Who is speaking? Paul.

Who is listening? The men of the Areopagus.

What are the circumstances? The men of the Areopagus were the high thinkers of Athens who would gather and reason with one another. Paul observed their religious beliefs. They had an alter that was dedicated to sacrifice to the unknown god. These words were the beginning of Paul’s introduction to them of this god that is God and desires to be known.

I find a compelling verse that follows, “In him we live and move and have our being.” What made it compelling was that Paul quotes one of the literary minds they were familiar with in their studies. His comment to them is that God is not far off and that by seeking Him they might find Him. If they only knew who He is by the means provided by Himself for us all.

The larger understanding for this scripture is that the words were meant for those who do not know God and we do. We have a proper understanding of who God is because we have asked Him into our hearts for a deep personal relationship.

The attitude that God is far off and unknown does not make room for a personal relationship.

Isaiah 11:10 English Standard Version (ESV) In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

We sit in the back of the car which Christ is driving crying out “Are we there yet?”

That is what it feels like when along this journey we fail to read the signs that say 100 miles to heaven. In chapters 11 and 12 of Isaiah there are many signs and as 11:24 says Christ shall put up a signal. Failing to read the signs is as much a failure as being unable to read. So we ask, “Are we there yet?”

Some of those signs are not for us specifically. God deals with all mankind and to be fair to everyone, they too deserve a sign. There are symbolisms that mean nothing to us because there is nothing in us to relate to the sign. That doesn’t mean we have to ignore the sign. We are not on this journey alone.

Trying to relate to passages written so long ago in terms of current events is difficult. Those words held relevant meaning to a people and a place long gone and there is little documentation about how those people related to the Word. We have the author to rely on during these times and we should ask. The only question is this; are we asking the right questions?

Are we there yet indicates that we only care about the final destination. It ignores the others in the vehicle. It indicates a failure to make the most out of the journey. We are sojourners in a foreign land and fail to enjoy the wonders around us.

Teach me O Lord what I need by the power of Your Holy Spirit.

The immature do not even know what to ask. That doesn’t change just because we get older.