Acts 1:1-9
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus
began to do and to teach 2 until
the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through
the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he
showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.
He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the
kingdom of God. 4 On
one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father
promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but
in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 So when they met
together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the
kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by
his own authority. 8 But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be
my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he
was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Time, most likely
we have all asked, “Is it time yet?” I
know I have on many occasions. I am trying
to do things in my time rather than His time.
The disciples were no different; they too wanted to know if it was time
yet for Jesus to establish His kingdom.
Just think, if God would have chosen that time to establish His Kingdom,
we would not have been there and not only us but think of people like Billy
Graham who has been all over this world spreading the Gospel or the many
numerous missionaries who have taken God’s word into the very remotest parts of
the world. When Acts was written, they
had no idea what was on the other side of the ocean. What do you think the “ends of the earth”
meant to them?
I do see growth in
the disciples though. Just a little over
forty days prior, they did not understand what Jesus was telling them. They were claiming that they would go to
Jesus death with Him and then they all scattered and left Him. They were so exhausted from worry that they
slept when they should have been praying.
They were arguing about who would be first in the Kingdom of God and who
would sit by Jesus. They were not asking
those questions now but they did want to know what Jesus was up to. They were still thinking about the earthly
Kingdom and not the Heavenly Kingdom.
They were still concerned about Israel.
They still didn’t have all the answers and then Jesus ascended into the
clouds. They didn’t run and scattered
after that but they froze.
How does this apply
to our lives? I must think of all those
times that I have thought that I had the answer to the puzzle of life and how I
found out that I myself do not have the answers and I froze or I screamed or I
simply pouted. I have to think of the all the times that I wanted
God to act a little faster, or how I wanted Him to answer my prayers in my
timing and not in His. I still get a
little anxious on this time issue. Maybe
it is the fast paced world we live in but I don’t think so, I think it is our
human nature to want things immediately that is why the industries of fast food
and the internet have become so successful.
But the Lord tells us that His timing is different from the world’s
timing, that we will need to wait and while we wait there is work to be
done. Don’t sit around idly waiting for
things to happen but work for the Lord, go to the ends of the Earth to tell
others about Him. The end of the earth
for you may be right in your own hometown, maybe into a section of town that
you have never ventured. Maybe your
calling is to go across the country or maybe it is to literally go to the ends
of the earth. Go where you are called,
maybe it is the job place that you have been for 20 years and maybe it is a new
job, a place where you are most comfortable or a place that brings much
discomfort, but Jesus says “Go”. Don’t
freeze, Go!
As you seek Him
today remember that His timing is perfect it is we who are imperfect, the
perfect will of God has the perfect timing, we need to be patient and pray that
our timing would coincide with His.
Seeking Him with
all my heart,
Sheila
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