Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, here in my heart and every moment of my day. ...
"Then (Jesus) lead them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up His hands, He blessed them. While He was blessing them, He withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God!" (Luke 24:50-53)
On the day of Your ascension into heaven after Your resurrection from the dead, You gave them Your blessing, as You stretched Your hands over them and spoke out Your words into them. They worshipped You and welcomed Your blessing "with great joy!"
Your last words to them were weighty words. They were words full of significance for their identity in You and their calling and destiny in You, as Your witnesses and disciples. They were Your famous last words to them before the great day of Pentecost soon to come.
howTo a trial lawyer it is so important and significant the last words would be that they would speak to the jury before they went to their chamber to deliberate a client's case and reach their verdict. They would be perhaps the most weighty words of the trial. They were the words the lawyer wanted to fill their thoughts, to stir their hearts, and to set in motion their determination to do what was right.
With Your last words, Your weighty words to Your disciples on that day of ascension, You spoke words to fill their thoughts, to stir their hearts, and to set in motion their determination to do what was right --to be Your witnesses, to go make disciples, to go in the power of Your Spirit after they were endued with power from on high:
"And (Jesus) said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are My witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what My Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:46-49).
These are our days between the day of Ascension and the day of Pentecost on the Biblical calendar of this prophetic year of 2020 vision, as we linger and long to be clothed with power from on high, to be endued with power from on high, in a great outpouring of Your Holy Spirit, the great Promise of the Father.
Give us a deep hunger, an insatiable thirst, for more of You, more of Your Spirit, more of Your boldness to be Your witnesses and go make disciples of all nations--not in our power, but Yours'. As You said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). As we watch and wait with expectant faith, to be filled afresh with Your Holy Spirit and power (Ephesians 5:18), we worship You with great joy and we yearn to honor You and Your name in all nations with Your passion.
Holy Spirit, Promise of our Father, give us ears to hear the weighty words of Jesus in our hearts and minds to go and do what is right, to fulfill the final verdict of the victory of the cross, that all righteousness may be fulfilled! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, may you be yearning and longing with deep hunger and insatiable thirst for a fresh outpouring and infilling of God's Holy Spirit, to be endued with power from on high as a witness of Jesus to go and make disciples, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
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