April 24 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

You can see the mighty conqueror returning home after the battle. He leads a host of captives, gives a victory parade, and displays the spoils, while the people of the homeland applaud and cheer.

This victory parade refers to God's triumphs in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. In Psalm 68 the Lord subdues nations that did not honor him. These peoples now pay him homage, while God receives their gifts.

But in the New Testament, the victory parade refers to Jesus' ascension into heaven. The battle is finished and he returns to the Father. Christ displays his power when he returns to heaven. He has conquered the evil powers. They are still alive, but they are in chains. They are Christ's captives: "When you ascended on high, you took many captives."

The text in Ephesians says not that the Victor received gifts from people but that he gave gifts to people. The victorious Christ is now in a position of power from where he can help his people who are still on the battlefield. "And he gave gifts to his people."

In general these gifts stand for the Holy Spirit that Christ gave his people after he had won the battle. And in particular these heavenly gifts are various kinds of power and spiritual support that the Lord gives his church.

The heavenly gifts assure not only the survival but also the victory of God's people. When we, members of the church of Christ, look at ourselves and at each other, we have no hope. We are always divided, and we are frequently disloyal to our Lord. But our strength comes from above, where Christ is. Christ has the armories of God at his disposal. From his endless resources he gives gifts to you and to me. With his supplies, we can endure this lengthy battle. Thanks to his gifts, we shall overcome.

REFLECTIONS

What gifts have you been given to use in God's service?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.