| Day
52 “Where Does God Live?”
Passage: Acts 7:2b-3
“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he
was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.”
Devotion:
As Stephen begins his speech he launches into a full history of
the patriarchs from Abraham to Moses. Why? It certainly wasn’t
because his audience didn’t know Jewish history (those listening
to him included the Jewish chief priest and Sanhedrin). The purpose
and one of the main points he is making relates to his defense of
the accusation against him of “speaking against this holy
place.” Stephen’s response is that God doesn’t
reside in a place – He is not tied to a particular country
or building.
The Jews in Stephen’s day were guilty of placing God in a
box – confining God to their locations and ideas. The “God
of glory” reference that Stephen makes, indicates God’s
sovereign nature (He can do anything He wants); and His appearance
in Mesopotamia to Abraham, illustrates that God does not confine
Himself to a particular country.
So often we do the same thing. We think that God is only at church,
or only interested in Christians, or supports only an American agenda.
God is as interested in your son or daughter’s salvation as
He is in the salvation of a Muslim in Iraq, a prostitute in Paris,
or a child with AIDS in Africa. God doesn’t have boundaries
and no one is a waste of time or effort for God.
Question to Ponder:
We all are guilty to one degree or another of placing boundaries
on God. What restrictions do you place on Him? Where have you put
God “in a box of your own making?” Intellectually you
may agree that God is not only at church, but sometimes we do not
have the same “feeling” of being close to God outside
of the building where we worship. What thoughts or ideas about God
do you need to change?
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