Reading your Bible for Today July 29

July 29: Luke 24:46-49

KJV Key Verse: Luke 24:49
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Devotion:
Just before Jesus ascended back into heaven, He reminded the disciples of the reason why this had all happened to Him; an apt reminder for us as well as we have been reminded how Christ promised to leave the Holy Spirit for us. What we need to take note of is how Jesus did not just bring on the Holy Spirit and then leave them. He told them they would have to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came to them.

Most of us lead very busy lives where we are rushing back and forward trying to fill in as many things as we can in the limited time we think we have. The urgency in which we do work for ourselves can seem very exhilarating at times, but what are we ignoring by rushing off and doing what we think is best to do? Jesus did not want the disciples to rush off and get straight into the task of talking to everyone; He wanted them to stop, think, pray and wait on God.

If we spent more time in our lives stopping the rushing, thinking about what God wants, praying for the guidance He wants to give us and then waiting for Him to tell us when the time is right, we would probably get a whole lot more done! Rushing and trying too hard often means we are focused on the wrong tasks and leave out what God says is important. We do not always see the big picture as God sees it. We do need to stop and wait for His guidance.

What Jesus had to go through was tough and probably more than we could go through. But He did this in preparation for what was to come. Everything was being done in the right order and at the right time because God was the guide. Jesus was listening and praying as much as possible to make sure God was in control. 

Points to Ponder:
Who is in control of your life?

Are you willing to give God control?