Jesus’ Ascension Increases our Praise!
Luke 24:53-They were continually in the temple courts, praising and blessing God. Amen. (EHV)
Usually when you have someone important who leaves you for good, it increases sadness and loneliness. The last thing you want to do is celebrate. But this is exactly what the disciples did. They saw their Lord ascend back into heaven and they were fully aware they would not see him on earth again.
It would make perfect sense that their hearts would be downcast and sad when he left them for good. We would understand if tears of sadness were flowing down their cheeks. How many of us had those tears when standing by a casket? If anything, they had tears of joy and celebration. Jesus’ ascension increased their joy and praise. They spent their days in the temple praising God. How were they able to do that without sadness? They knew that the Lord’s ascension was good for them. Jesus’ ascension ushered in the joy of their mission work. Jesus gave them the privilege to bring the gospel into the world.
That joy and praise in the ascension continues today! You and I have the same privilege to share the gospel in this world. Jesus has given us the joy to proclaim his name to the people in our lives. This increases our joy because we are still connected to our risen Lord even while he is in heaven. Our connection to the Lord is a great blessing because it means we are never alone. That is especially important was we continue the mission to bring the good news to this dark world. The thing is, we know it works. It worked on the disciples then, and now. And it will work again. That is the power of the ascension. It only increases our praise and joy. And no amount of sadness and loneliness can take this away from us. Not only this, but we are also confident that the same Jesus who left and ascended into heaven, will return and usher in the new heaven and earth where we will live with him forever!
Dear ascended Lord! Increase our praise that you returned to heaven and given us the privilege of sharing the good news with people in our lives. Amen!