When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Following Jesus leads to his blessing on our lives. This will result in great joy! Great joy erupts in praise.
The disciples were seeking after Jesus for two years. They fell, and got back up. They fell again into sin … got back up again. They performed miracles, then left him and/or disowned him in the time he needed them most. But Jesus came back for them and they got back up again.
If this sounds like a familiar story, it is … it is my story. I trust God, fall, repent, get back up and keep pursuing him. Maybe it sounds like your story too?
The good news is, when we keep following Jesus, even when it doesn’t even seem to make sense, he will bless us. From his blessing we will experience great joy. And this great joy will result in overwhelming praise to God for all he has done for us!
Lord, thank you for your tenacious love that never gives up on us and always pursues us. You love fighters, and I will fight to keep my faith grounded and based in your truth. Teach me your ways today as I praise you!
Joe, you wrote that God “loves fighters,”. I just yesterday read that peculiar statement by Christ, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” Matt 11:12. There must be a term for this type of contrast used to emphasize a point, (such as when He says He will come “like a thief in the night”). He is teaching us to never give up, to break in to heaven “by force”.
It gets discouraging at times. But with His Grace, (grace that gives assurance that we are saved: there’s joy!!), and with His Truth, and His Presence in the Holy Spirit, WE CAN MAKE IT!!
Peter denied Christ three times on the night he was betrayed by Judas. Peter got up off the mat and fought. Judas wallowed in self-centered guilt and hung himself. I’m a radical, I think if Judas had repented, and fought, that God would have even forgiven him! Never, ever, give up brothers and sisters!
Thanks for the great encouragement here, Mark. I agree with you, we have to be tenacious and keep getting up and fighting for the spiritual victories in Christ.