Power From On High

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

POWER FROM ON HIGH

Luke 24:36-53

36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."  37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."  40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"  42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."  45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."  50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

NIV

Now the last thing is on the agenda to consider. Well, there is still another one last thing, but before we get to it, we would know that we have repented, we have changed the way we think about Jesus, and we have the forgiveness of our sins. That means our past sins, and our present, and our future sins. That may not be the right way to approach the idea of our sins, thinking that we will sin today, tomorrow, or for the rest of our lives. But as long as we are in this corruptible body it will be corrupted, and sin is the result. It is not that we go around trying to find a way to sin, but it just happens, and when it does, we mourn over our failure and seek forgiveness, which we have immediately for we have already been forgiven. Now, because Jesus told them to wait in the city until he sends what the Father had promised, although Jesus used the present tense, has promised, so we would think that promise is still in the present tense, and we have been clothed with power from on high. This power is in the form of the Holy Spirit who the Father has sent to them, and to us, therefore we have received the Holy Spirit, and we have received this power from on high, who is God. The question we need to ask ourselves is if we are truly living as though we have the power from on high. We know we have the Holy Spirit, we have all the evidence throughout the scriptures, especially within the record Luke makes of the acts of the Apostles the Holy Spirit came upon many people, and they experienced that power in their lives. All we have to do is look at Stephen, a man full of faith and the power of God, as he was full of the Spirit, and he did many miraculous signs, and wonders among the people. We have the same Holy Spirit who filled Stephen and He fills us, unless we have shut Him down, that is quenching the Spirit who dwells within us, keeping Him from completely filling us. This could be because we still want to have control over our lives, and do not want to give ourselves over to His power. However, if we can truly submit to the power of God in our lives, we can have life to the fullest, living abundantly in the Spirit. This is not in the physical sense or the material sense, but living fully in the power of the Spirit, accepting all his influence within us, producing all His fruit in us, and exhibiting His gifts through us, which include miracles, which are signs and wonders, and all the rest. There is no rule the Spirit only gives one person one of His gifts. If we are completely open and totally transparent with the Spirit, we will have all the power from on high.