Going Up?

 

When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem, Luke 9:51

This hit me like a ton of bricks recently. I was reading in Luke 9 as part of my devotions, and I saw Luke’s wording here as if for the first time. It rocked my world.

Luke was describing Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem. Jesus knew that Jerusalem was the end of the road for him – at least for his earthly ministry. He knew that he would die brutally and then, after three days, be resurrected.

Luke wrote his account of Jesus’ final months several decades after the fact, so he has much more of a long-term perspective. Did you see how he described Jesus’ approaching season—the days were approaching for “his ascension.”

Luke, reflecting back on the life and ministry of Jesus, didn’t see the end of the story as Jesus’ resurrection; he saw it as his ascension into Heaven. That’s a biblical fact and a major component of the story that many of us overlook. Ultimately Jesus’ life on earth ended with his ascension into Heaven.

And so will yours and mine.

Death is never the end of the story for a Christian. Behind the physical veil of an earthly death is a spiritual ascension. Behind the bodily failure is a spiritual victory. Behind the final moments of pain is the beginning of an eternity of unspeakable joy.

Your death—your date with your Jerusalem—does not end when your body is laid to rest, it ends when your spirit ascends to Heaven.

The life of every Christian always ends with ascension. Jesus’ did… and so will yours and mine.

Isn’t that an amazing truth? That should give us great confidence as the moment of our departure draws nearer every day. Our lives do not end in pain and death. They end with our ascension into Heaven. Praise God.

Lord God, because of the reality of our ascension into Heaven with You, help us to face our mortality with joy and fearless confidence. In Jesus’ name . . .

The post Going Up? appeared first on Will Davis Jr.