Moment in the Word

Acts 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being...

This week, a friend requested prayer for a newborn great-grandson who occasionally stops breathing.

After interceding for the infant's need, several verses instantly came to mind.

From the very beginning, God has been the 'Breath of Life' for His Creation, "God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the *neshama (breath of life); and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7)."

Following the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Christ confronted His frightened, discouraged disciples as they hid from their enemies. In John 20:21-22, we read, "Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he *emphysaō (breathed on them) and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"

According to our Lord's command, the Almighty soon empowered His Church on the day of New Testament Pentecost, "Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty *pnoē (breath), and it filled the house where they were sitting (Acts 2:2)."

Since the advent of God's Holy Spirit which resuscitated His embryonic Church, individual believers have received a miraculous infusion of life, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and *pnoē (breath) and everything else (Acts 17:24-25)."

Praise God!

But after receiving our rightful inheritance, I wonder if Christians sometimes neglect the blessings that were purchased through the sacrifice of God's Son. Like the little baby that was first mentioned, do we come to life in Jesus Christ and then forget to breathe (which is the divine allowance, mercifully granted to us by the gift of Grace)?

In Jesus Christ, there is absolutely no justification or excuse for 'holding our breath,' i.e., functioning below God's best expectation, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28)."

From Creation's first breath in the very Beginning, God's plan for us was already complete, "It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13)." The Lamb, slain from the foundation of the earth (Revelation 13:8) had already become the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Consequently, like St. Paul, "I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6)."