“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3 NIV84)

Today we enter into a series of devotions based on Luke’s second book, the book of Acts. At the end of the Gospel of Luke, he recorded the ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is important to remember that Luke was not an eyewitness of the event. After hearing from eyewitnesses like Peter, he felt compelled to share the ascension with Theophilus. Luke not only ended his gospel with the ascension, but he began the book of Acts (also written to Theophilus) with Jesus’ ascension. Jesus physically ascended into heaven before their very eyes. He returned to His heavenly kingdom–a kingdom as real as the world in which we live, even though we cannot see it.

The kingdom of God was an important topic for Jesus. Jesus talked about and referenced the kingdom of God (Heaven) more than any other topic. During the 40 days prior to His ascension, He continued to speak to His disciples about the kingdom of God.

How important is the kingdom of God to you? To me? Are we so wrapped up in the kingdom we live in that we rarely contemplate the realities of God’s eternal kingdom? We need to be reminded that Heaven is our home. We live here, but our citizenship is in Heaven. We need to make sure that our lives are committed to the truths of God’s kingdom. We need to be in this world, but not of it. Honestly, we need to bring our faith and trust in the kingdom of God into the world in which we live. Our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities need to be touched by love of the King in whose kingdom we belong.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church