Acts 17:24-28
God is Not Far Away From Any of Us
24 “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. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
Luke 10:38-42
At the Home of Mary and Martha
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Today we are rushing around and getting ready to go out...My mind is in a hurry...We have places to go...Yet, right now this is a time for God...To write about Him and to keep Him and Jesus in my mind and in my thoughts, not only for now but throughout the day...As the busyness and as I hurry my thoughts move from Him and onto other things...My thoughts leave Him and He is gone from my mind as I prepare for this day...I have in a way put Him aside or in the back seat, as my thoughts prepare for all we are going to do today...
As Martha was distracted by all the preparations that was making that day for Jesus and her guests, she went to Jesus to see if she could get some help from her sister....She asked Him, “LORD, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?...Tell her to help me!”...“Martha, Martha,” our LORD answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one...Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”...Listening to Jesus and His Word is the most important thing that day, when given a choice...And Mary chose listening to His Word versus getting involved in the daily preparations...Martha had left the LORD in her thoughts and mind and put Him aside...But He wasn't far away from her at all...
The world and what we do day in and day out can do this to us...Ravi Zacharias wrote “I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put Him...We have kept Him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on Him in prayer, we wonder where He is...He is exactly where we left Him.”...