Jesus Ascended to Heaven

How do you view Jesus’ ascension? How does it impact your life? Is it just another piece of Christian history? Does it cause you to rejoice and celebrate? Does it have a profound impact on you? Do you share it with others?

We often mention that Jesus sits at the right hand of the throne of God. This implies that He ascended to heaven. But how much do we think about His ascension? It is a remarkable event. One that only God can make happen.

We are told in Luke 24:52-53 the apostles rejoiced and went to the temple to bless God. Luke expounds on this in Acts 1:12-14 by saying they gathered together and devoted themselves to prayer. Witnessing Jesus ascend to heaven had a profound effect on them.

As we ponder Jesus’ ascension, spending some time to think hard on it, it can have a profound effect on us as well. We are told in Revelation 1:5 that Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. In other words, He rose from the dead. The same verse also states He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Within the chapter, we hear of Jesus returning, just as we are told in Acts 1:11.

The combination of Jesus rising from the dead and ascending to heaven gives us great hope. For He told us that is going to prepare a place for us (John 14:2-3). Jesus had to ascend to do that. We can celebrate His ascension knowing He is preparing a place for us and interceding on our behalf before the Father.

I pray we all celebrate the ascension of Jesus Christ. I pray we have great hope because of His ascension. I pray each one of us know that Jesus is preparing a place for us. Celebrate Jesus’ ascension. Put your hope in Him. Know He is preparing a place for you. Jesus is interceding for you.

Acts 1:9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

Why Wait?

Why wait? Why not go get what you want right now? Does it matter that your purchase must be put on a credit card that you will pay later? Why not satisfy your desire now? Have you noticed it seems our culture runs on credit? Are you living on credit right now?

Credit is something we all use. We buy things using a credit card knowing the bill will come due later. Sometimes we pay the credit card off as soon as we get the bill. Other times we must make monthly payments for several months to pay it off. Credit has become a way of life.

But hasn’t credit always been a way of life? We have always owed a debt we cannot pay. That is one reason Jesus came—to pay our debt for us. His payment cancels our debt. But that is not all. He not only cancelled our debt but gives us more than we deserve. He gives us the Holy Spirit.

The apostles had to wait for the Holy Spirit to be given to them. It was not until Jesus has ascended to heaven that they received what He promised them. When the Holy Spirit poured out over them, they were overcome with blessings and joy. They were granted insights to God they did not previously have. But to receive them, they had to wait.

Waiting can be challenging. Waiting can feel excruciating. Yet, waiting can result in something far greater than we can imagine. Waiting can be a blessing itself and result in a far greater blessing. Listen for God to guide you in waiting and determining when to move forward. Be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. Put your faith in God, knowing he has something far greater for you…and wait.

I pray we all know that we live on credit. I pray we know we are blessed by the gift of the Holy Spirit. I pray each one of us will wait for God’s blessing, putting our faith in him and his promises. Jesus has paid your debt. You have been given a great gift. Listen for the Holy Spirit. Wait for God’s guidance.

Acts 1:4-5 While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Truth or Untruth

Belief is a funny thing. We can believe anything. Think it’s not true? It can be proven with a little experiment. I have seen it done in a classroom. It is a psychological experiment. You need about a dozen or so people who know each other, but not well. That’s why a class is a perfect setting.

You randomly choose one person to leave the classroom. You then tell the remaining people what you want to convince the other person of. Make it something that seems plausible, even if untrue. Have the person return and tell them what you want them to believe. All the others chime in and say it is true. You will convince the person who left the room it is true.

This is a relatively simple psychological exercise to go through. It is safe in a classroom, because you can then correct the untruth by telling them it was an exercise, and it isn’t the truth. However, this same thing happens outside our classrooms every day. One person convinces another something is true, even if it isn’t. They then convince someone else. The next thing you know, there are dozens, hundreds, or even thousands believing falsely.

On the other hand, the opposite is true as well. It only takes one person to convince someone else of the truth. Those two convince someone else. And, once again, before long you have dozens, hundreds, and thousands convinced. This is how the early church grew. The gospel message was spread by the apostles and other disciples. And it all started with Jesus revealing the truth of God. We can continue to spread His truth to the people we know today.

I pray we all decide to convince others of the truth. I pray we spread the truth of the gospel. I pray each one of us take Jesus’ words with us and tell His message to everyone we meet. Know the gospel message. Take it with you. Tell everyone you meet. Spread the truth of God.

John 17:7-8 “Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.”

Reflect On Life

What is life to you? Do you consider life nothing more than breathing, interacting, working, going, and thinking? Is life more than that to you? Have you ever thought about what life is? Have you given any thought about eternal life, living forever?

Life can be funny, difficult, and strange. Odd things happen during our lives. We face challenges. We may even say that life is stranger than fiction. When we reflect on our lives, we see how it changes from day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, and year-to-year.

Our lives intersect with so many other lives. So many, that we cannot recall everyone we have met, interacted with, and perhaps even called friends at one time or another. The older we get the more people interact with. Some pass from our memory while others have a lasting impact. But do we think about why that is?

Someone who has taken time to point us in the right direction often stays in our memory bank. This is especially true if that person pointed us to God and turned our life from a life of lostness to a life of being welcome into God’s kingdom. When we are pointed to Jesus, get to know Him personally, and allow Him to have the deep positive impact He can, the person who helped us to do will be someone we hold dearly in our memories for rest of our lives.

Why? When we have Jesus, we have eternal life. That eternal life is one in which we live with God forever. There is no end. It is perfect in all facets. Sadly, if we don’t have Jesus, we do not have that perfect life forever. This is a great reason to both submit to Him and tell others about Him. We, too, can be someone who has a deep positive impact on someone else.

I pray we all pause to think about life. I pray we recognize the different seasons of life we experience. I pray each one of us will accept Jesus into our lives and tell others about Him. Reflect on life. Recognize the season you have come through. Accept Jesus. Live in Him. Tell others about Him.

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Major Decisions

Do you seek advice and guidance when needing to make major decisions? Do you take time to research all the possibilities and determine the pros and cons of each? Who do you seek out to provide you advice and guidance? Do you spend time in prayer, asking God for guidance?

When we have major decisions, we often seek advice and guidance from someone we trust. The people we seek guidance from have often made a similar decision during their lives. We seek to learn from their experience. They help us identify the pros and cons of the options.

There are a few keys to seeking advice. The first is seeking advice from someone we trust who will think through the options and provide sound advice. The second is that we listen intently and weigh the information carefully. The third is to ask God to guide us in determining the best option for us.

The first key is easy and often done. The second one can be more challenging. The advice we receive may not be what we want to hear and we either ignore it or don’t give it much weight. The third key is far too often not done at all, yet it is perhaps the most important key of all.

When we earnestly seek God’s guidance, praying fervently with open hearts to hear it, he provides an answer. The answer may not come in verbal form. It may be as simple as a calmness comes over us when we consider one option or a tightening in our chest and anxiety overcoming us. If we have prayed to God to guide us, these types of feelings are his way of providing us with the best answer.

I pray we all seek advice and guidance. I pray we seek someone we trust will provide sound advice. I pray each one of us will ask God to guide us and heed the guidance he provides. Seek advice. Seek guidance. Listen to a trustworthy person. Weigh the options. Ask God to guide you. Follow his guidance.

Acts 1:24-25 Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

Connections

Have you given any thought to the part you play in life? Have you ever sat in a public spot watching people and wonder what part each of them play? Have you considered even those you think are bad fill a role? Or, that God can use what a bad person does for good?

We typically go about our lives without a lot of thought. We may plan what we are going to do today. We may plan a vacation months in advance. We may plan our education. We may even plan when we will have children. But we do not typically think about how we fit in the bigger picture.

Everyone plays a role in life. We are all connected to someone, somewhere, somehow. Think about all the connections to other people you have. There are family, friends, co-workers, schoolmates, and people we meet while shopping. Each of us have a connection and influence on them, just as they do us.

Even those who do bad things have influence. Judas certainly had an influence on how God’s plan played out. Peter recognizes that Judas had a role to play. Before we get off track and blame God for what bad people do, we must remember that God is always good. He will not entice or encourage someone to do bad. However, because he knows what they will do, what is in their heart and mind, he will use what they intend for bad to bring good out of it.

If you have never taken time to think about the big picture, I encourage you to do so. Look back over your life and recognize how different people have had an influence on your life. See where God has worked in your life, both through good influences from people and by using a bad event to bring about good in your life. As you realize connections among all of us, you will become more aware of your own actions.

I pray we all see God at work in our lives. I pray we see the connections we have with others. I pray each one of us use our realization of connections to be more aware of our actions. See God at work. See how God uses bad for good. See all your connections. Be aware of how your actions impact others.

Acts 1:15-17 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus—for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

Happy Are Those…

Happiness is often fleeting. We are happy when we purchase something new, but it wears off. We are happy when we are with friends, but we cannot be with them every day, all day. We are happy with our pets until they are disobedient. Our happiness doesn’t last.

We can find a fulfilling happiness, one that can be our delight every day, all day. That comes from following the commands of God and his Son, Jesus Christ. When we study and obey them, we find the happiness, which is really true joy, that will not leave us. This happens as read God’s Word and commit it to memory. His commands and guidance come back to us as we go about our daily lives, directing our path to the best experiences.

Conventional, worldly wisdom tells us that can’t be. We need, in fact deserve, worldly pleasures that we can only get from buying things. But the world is wrong. As we memorize and meditate on God’s Word, we elevate ourselves above worldly thinking. We come to a new realization. We understand that this world will pass away, but God’s Word will not pass away.

It is the Lord that we find the happiness, joy, and delight our souls seek. It is in God’s commands and guidance that we are set free from the shackles of this world. It is when we trust God at his Word that our minds are opened to his truths and find joy that surpasses all understanding. We simply need to decide to give up the world for God.

I pray we all seek to find happiness in God. I pray we long for the pure joy that only God can provide. I pray each one of us shake off the shackles of this world to find the freedom that comes with trusting God. Find happiness. Find pure joy. Obey God’s commands. Follow his guidance. Trust God. Be set free.

Psalm 1:1-2

Happy are those 

who do not follow the advice of the wicked, 

or take the path that sinners tread, 

or sit in the seat of scoffers; 

but their delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law they meditate day and night.

Go As Jesus Commanded

How well do you follow commands? Have you been in a profession in which instant obedience is required? How well do you think you would adapt to such a profession? Are you following Jesus’ commands?

Jesus did not give many commands. He said we are to love God, love our neighbor, follow Him, and make disciples. We are typically pretty good at acknowledging the first three, even if we don’t always follow them. It’s the fourth one that gives us the most anxiety.

Jesus didn’t give us an option in any one of His commands. That’s why we call them commands. If there were choices in doing them or not, we would call them suggestions, guidelines, or even principles. But we don’t call them any of those, rather they are called commands.

The command to go make disciples scares many of us. Yet, it is not nearly as scary as we make it out to be. In fact, many people we talk to everyday know something about God and are willing to talk about him. It is the fear of ridicule, ostracization, or embarrassment that causes us to hesitate. That fear comes from Satan, plain and simple. He wants to stop us from carrying out Jesus’ command. Let’s all pray that God remove our fear and we carry out all of Jesus’ commands.

I pray we all seek to follow Jesus’ commands. I pray we desire to obey every one of them. I pray each one of us will ask God to wipe out our fear so we will go make disciples of Jesus Christ. Follow Jesus’ commands. Ask God to remove your fear. Go, make disciples.

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Show Your Love

Have you ever taken time to contemplate how you love? How do others know you love them? Is it because you tell them you do? Or is it how you treat them? What do you think? How do you know when someone else loves you? Is it through words or actions?

Let’s just say right up front, there is nothing wrong with telling someone you love them. In fact, it is good to tell them. They need to hear it and you need to express your feelings verbally. Yet, verbally should not be the only way we express our love for one another.

Our loved should be expressed in the same way Jesus expressed His love for His disciples. How did He do that? He did it with actions and speech. Jesus showed them His love by rescuing them from the storm, just as He rescues us from our storms. He gave them wise advice through His teachings, and He does so for us today. He fed them when they were hungry, and He feds us today. He rebuked them when they were wrong, and He rebukes us today as well. But He rebuked them with love and followed it with teaching them appropriately.

We can follow Jesus’ form of expressing love. We can be there during a time of need. We can provide wise advice based on our years of experience or diligent research of a topic. We can feed our loved ones by preparing a meal. We can let them know they are incorrect and provide a correct explanation calmly. All of this should be done with love and compassion. It is not done to build ourselves up or position ourselves above them.

Jesus did not boast about Himself to His disciples. He demonstrated who He is and asked them who they thought He was. He did not lord it over them that He was the Son of God. Instead, he served them. We are also called to be servants, not lords. By being servants of one another, we show the love of Jesus in us to others.

I pray we all love one another. I pray we seek to show our love for others in the same way Jesus showed His love. I pray we serve one another through actions done in love. Show the love of Jesus. Show your love through actions. Love one another. Serve one another in love.

John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Complete Joy

How much joy do you have? Not just happiness with things, but joy that remains within you regardless of the situation. Do you have that kind of joy? Do you want that kind of joy? Do you know that it is available to you? It is the very reason Jesus gave us His teachings.

True joy is both easy and hard to come by. It is easy when we follow Jesus’ teachings and commands. It is hard when we listen to the world and are filled with the desires of it. We often chase after happiness rather than following Jesus to pure joy.

Why is the world so enticing? We like what I call shiny objects, things that catch our attention. They can be anything from jewelry to a beautiful partner, climbing the corporate ladder or chasing a professional sports career, getting the right dog or buying the right clothes. Shiny objects one and all…if we allow them to become the focus of our attention rather than Jesus.

But when we listen to Jesus’ teachings and seek to understand and follow them, we fine the pure joy we all desire. It is the type of joy we can only achieve through Jesus. The question we must answer is, will we believe it, or will we continue to chase temporary happiness to fill the void we have inside without His joy.

Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that He has said everything He said so that we may have the same joy He has. That is the pure joy of knowing, not only Him, but God the Father. When He says that our joy will be complete, it means to come to full fruition, to be made whole, to be completely fulfilled. This is the joy our inner being desires.

I pray we all seek the pure joy of Jesus Christ. I pray we listen to and understand Jesus’ teachings. I pray each one of us will experience a full and complete joy as we follow Jesus’ commands. Seek pure joy. Listen to Jesus. Understand Jesus’ teachings. May your joy be made complete.

John 15:11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.