BE

by Tammy Phillips
January 23, 2023

In Him we live and move and have our being!– Acts 17:28

How could the tiny, two-letter word, “be,”  cause such contemplation? We are called human beings.   My question is what are we “being?”   What does it mean to just “be?” Is there a cost to “be?” Is there value in being?  Since God tells us to “be,”  what does that look like?  God does not lead us to something and not bring us through it.

The Bible is full of directions of who, what and how to “be.” Holy Spirit began moving me to question and seek answers about being, two years ago.   I have recorded over thirty-pages of scripture from the word of God where we are told to “be.” I am going to spend the next however long, plunging into those powerful directions.

“Be” by definition, whether from the Hebrew or Greek, means to  live, to occupy a position, to have a place and to be present.  It is a verb and  requires action.  It infers duty, necessity, or purpose. 

Look at the synonyms for “be:”  abide, BREATHE, continue, endure, flourish, fixed, go on, hold, have place, LIVE, move, persist, prevail, remain, rest, stand, stay, and survive.

Aren’t all those words a general theme throughout the Bible?   My word from the Lord from  2023 is VIVA MAGENTA.  Magenta is my favorite color.  It exudes cheer, joy, and happiness to me.  Viva means to live, breathe and be.  You can readily see from the synonym list above that those three words all mean the same thing.   God does not just tell us to live, live, live.  He doesn’t say breathe, breathe, breath, nor be, be, be.   He is so much more creative, colorful, and magnificent than that.   He does not want us to live a dull, gray, dreary life full of pain, worry, and fear.  That is just not His plan.  He wants us to enjoy every second of life…no matter what we are going through.  He wants us to walk and talk through life with Him. He wants us to rejoice in every breath and to just love being in Him. He wants us to trust in Him with our whole heart and being.

However, He leaves the choice up to us. We can live, breathe and be, or we can die, suffocate, give up, perish, quit, and stop being. Life is not easy and that is not His promise.  For many years, I just floated along very defeated and let life take me where it would.  I did not know I had a choice.  We do have a choice.  His name is Jesus. He is life and the life giver.  He gives us life and breath and our being, now and for eternity.  He died and exchanged His life so that we could live. 

God is the “I AM.”

Do you know what the Greek word being is in Acts 17:28?  I didn’t either.  I am no Greek scholar. 

The Greek word for “being” is esmen which is a derivative of eimi which means:   I be, I exist, I am.  Do you get it? God revealed His name to Moses as the “I AM.”   God is the “I AM.” 

In God, in Him, in  the “I AM,”  we are.  
We exist only because He exists.
I am because  of the one and only “I AM!”
In Him we are because He is and always has been.
In “I AM” we live and move, and we be!
We live and we move, and we be in Him.
We live because He lives.
We move because He moves.
We can be because HE IS OUR VERY BEING!
We can do all things in and through Him and absolutely nothing without Him.

Live. Breathe. Be.  It all means the same thing.  It is woven in and out of God’s words for us.

Can you wrap your mind around the word “be” and all that it means? It is a lot.

Think of it this way.  When we go to the doctor for a checkup, he tells us to breathe normally.  If you are like me, I, then, try to breathe.  Most of us do not struggle to breathe.  It is just something we do effortlessly. Seriously, how many times a day do you stop and think about breathing.  We were created to live and breathe…and be.  We make life difficult with our choices. We add the struggle.  

I enCourage you to end the struggle.  Stop worrying, stop fearing, and stop doubting. God’s word says: 

“My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; 
for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. 
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.” [Pro 3:1,2,5,6 CSB]

His word brings full LIFE and well BEING! It makes the difficult road a straight path.  It’s life in Him. 

LIVE. BREATHE. BE in 2023…’24,’25, ’26 and forever!