God of Movement

As seen in the HEARTbeat and the Village Voice

“God of Movement”

            At the expense of confusing myself, let me simplify Isaac Newton’s first law of motion.  It states that matter (objects) will remain moving in a straight line at a constant speed until acted upon by an outside force.  This is to assume matter is moving in the first place.  But applying this simplified law, it also proposes matter at rest (not moving) will remain at rest until acted upon by an outside force.  Even then, there will be resistance by this non-moving object to stay still.  The force acting upon this resting object must overcome its resistance to stay at rest!

            Ok, now that I have caused you to go back and read the introductory paragraph a few times, possibly causing a slight headache, let me say this – we as humans don’t move unless we have to!  We go to the bathroom because we have to.  We go to the kitchen because we are hungry.  We drive to the gas station because we have to get fuel.  We only move when we have to!  But all this begs the question:  What motivates us to move?

            We have become so scientific in our approach to some things we forget the spiritual.  There were two things God gave Adam to do – tend the garden and populate the earth (be fruitful and multiply).  God’s instructions were the motivation for Adam and Eve to move, to accomplish these tasks.  But what was the resistance to God’s motivation?  Yes, it was Satan.  He put the question to Adam and Eve, “God really didn’t say that, did He?”  Satan made Adam and Eve question God’s motivation, and that was the beginning of the downfall of mankind.

            God is a God of motion.  He set all the stars and planets in the universe, and he put them into MOTION!  Everything in the universe is in motion.  All through the creation story there is motion, the wind, the seas, the clouds, and yes, mankind.  Even in the banishment from the garden, Adam and Eve were motivated by God to move, albeit under His loving care.

            God did not call us into our individual ministries to sit still.  We receive spiritual gifts to be used, to move in and with the Holy Spirit to build up the kingdom here on earth.  This is movement!  Jesus told His disciples in what we call the Great Commission to, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”  Jesus said, “Go,” or to move as Christians and not to sit still.

            God will bless, guide and direct us along the path He has us on to accomplish His desires for us.  We have to stop resisting His callings and be willing to enter deeper into a wonderful and movement-oriented relationship with Him, the reason we were created for in the first place!