AUGUST 25, 2014
More
Than Waiting
Read: Acts 1:1-11
A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little
while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father. —John 16:16
I
don’t know how it works where you live, but when I have to call for a repair
for one of my appliances, the company says something like, “The repairman will
be there between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.” Since I don’t know when the repair
person will arrive, all I can do is wait.
Jesus
told His followers that He would soon be leaving them and they would need to
wait for His return in “a little while” (John 16:16). After His resurrection,
they saw Him again and they hoped He would be establishing His kingdom on earth
at that time. But He told them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons
which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7). They would have to
wait even longer.
But
they were to do more than wait. Jesus told His followers that they were to “be
witnesses to [Him] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends
of the earth” (v.8). And He gave them the Holy Spirit to empower them to do
this.
We
still wait for Jesus’ return. And while we do, it’s our delight, in the Holy
Spirit’s power, to tell and show others who He is, what He has done for all of
us through His death and resurrection, and that He has promised to return.
Dear
Lord, we love You so much. We want
our
words and our lives to be a witness
of
Your goodness and grace. Please use
us
in ways we never thought possible.
Wait and witness till
Jesus returns.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
