Weekly Practice 7/6/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Scripture
Acts 17:22-31 MSG
So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. “It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows. I’m here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you’re dealing with.
“The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?
“God overlooks it as long as you don’t know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he’s calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Practice
Seek After God
Over the past month, we’ve been leaning into the practice of witness and the idea is that our hope and faith in Jesus should overflow out of our hearts and lives. This overflow can only happen as a byproduct of first being filled with God's love and presence. To know and love God is always our primary aim.
This week, attend to your relationship with God, however that might look for you. Maybe your soul needs some silence and solitude, or some scripture. Maybe you really need to slow down and get some rest. Maybe you should just keep doing what you’re doing and stick to your current rhythm of prayer. Do your best to listen to God’s invitation to you, then respond.
