Verse of the Day 4/6

Verse of the Day 4/6

Luke 24:49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."    English Standard Version (ESV)

The North Carolina college basketball team just won the NCAA championship.  The final was a good game, but it wasn't dominated by super stars, no one player scored 40 points or took over the game.  Instead, it was a team effort where great defense, rebounding, hustle and sharing the ball were the keys to victory.  Through the course of a season teams may "get up" to play their arch rivals and then fall back into a pattern of losing.  A championship team will walk away from any victory and focus on the next game.  They will go back and practice their defense, try to improve or shore up their offense, encourage hustle and teamwork.

In today's passage Jesus had just won the greatest victory ever, overcoming the grave.  Before He ascended He encouraged and challenged His followers.  He didn't just send them out to face the opponent, face the world in the power of the victory, He encouraged them to go back and stay in the city until they were "clothed with power from on high."  He was telling them to go back, that they would seek Him in His Word, in prayer  and go forth when the power of the Spirit was upon them.

A.W. Tozer writes, "Sometimes I think the Church would be better off if we would call a moratorium on activity for about six weeks and just wait on God to see what He is waiting to do for us. That's what they did before Pentecost."  The Counselor, 95. Tozer  Elsewhere he writes, "Where adequate power is present almost any means will suffice, but where the power is absent not all the means in the world can secure the desired end. The Spirit of God may use a song, a sermon, a good deed, a text or the mystery and majesty of nature, but always the final work will be done by the pressure of the inliving Spirit upon the human heart."

That power is there for us in the presence of the Spirit which God the Father has sent to us.  We have access to that power and we draw upon it  in our daily time, our daily walk with Him in His Word, prayer and meditation.

I am weak but Thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be

When my feeble life is o'er
Time for me will be no more
Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Luke 24:49The Message (MSG)

^45-49 He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, "You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You're the first to hear and see it. You're the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you're equipped with power from on high."