Acts 17- Purpose, Repent

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth... and he determined the times set for [men] and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:24,26b-27a).

First off, we each have a purpose. There are no glory days. There is no better time than now. We are living in the God ordained days set for us. God has determined the exact time and place where you are right now. And he purposed it. You were placed in your setting for a very real and specific reason... now the question is, 'are you living it?'

Are you living out God's purpose for your life? The ultimate purpose the text says, is that you would seek him and find him.... so are you intimate with Him. Have you sought Him out? I'm reminded of a time when some friends dropped their keys to an SUV in a lake in Florida. We did not have a spare so we hired a scuba guy to come and search the lake under the dock. We were determined. Do you have determination and drive to seek and find God? You need to do the leg work to seek Him. Secondly, know that He is not far from each one of us.... In Him we live and move and have our being... we are His offspring, His creation, His children. We are His and He is near. So, we can fulfill our purpose and seek Him today. Or, we can abandon our purpose and ignore... Which way are you living?

"Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-- an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:29-31)

But even when we live out our purpose of seeking and finding Him, we still have a work to do... it is a work of repentance. When Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis, the first thing he said was, "Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when he said 'Poenitentiam agite' [Repent], willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance." We are prone to treat God like a gold, silver, or stone image made by man's hands. We belittle God in our lives. We do not give Him the honor that rightly belongs to the King. We treat Him as if we made Him and He answers to us. We want Him to play by our rules, to bend to our wants, to behave as we see fit. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. We are called to a life of humble repentance at the cross of Christ. Our hearts are prone to wander. We constantly belittle our Maker. Once we seek and find Him, we live a life of repentance. One Day Jesus, the Righteous One, who once died but now lives forever, will judge each man. Will He find a heart of humility. Will He find a desperate person who is living a life of seeking Him and repenting. Or will He find arrogance and ignorance?

Seek. Find. Repent. Repeat.