May 3 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

When Jesus said, "Now I am going to him who sent me," the disciples were sad. They were deeply attached to their Master. But they did not have a deep insight into the nature and scope of his work.

The disciples are a good illustration of the fact that we always misunderstand God's purpose unless we have the Holy Spirit. Only then does God's purpose become our goal. Before Pentecost the disciples merely added to the sufferings of Jesus. After Pentecost they became God's coworkers. A person cannot work for God unless God's Spirit is in him or her.

Therefore it was so very good and necessary that Christ go from earth to heaven — from the battlefield to headquarters. As soon as he had received the powerful position at God's right hand, he was able to give the Spirit to his own. Without this power we remain as aimless as an unattached wheel. But through the Holy Spirit, God's will becomes our will and God's aim becomes ours.

There was an earthly ministry of Christ, and there is a heavenly ministry of our Lord. When he was about to complete his earthly ministry, Jesus prepared his disciples for the second phase. He knew that he would soon be elevated to the throne. And from the throne of God he would send that awesome power called the Holy Spirit, the Comforter or Advocate who wins people for God's cause. According to the divine order, the Holy Spirit would come only after Jesus had gone to heaven.

After the ascension, a new phase in the redemptive work of Jesus began. Christians who are forever hankering for his earthly presence, who talk romantically about Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee, are insensitive to God's progress. We are now better off, and we are now further down the road. It was for our good that Jesus left. But without the light of the Spirit, we can never know how good it is for us and for the world that Jesus is in heaven.

REFLECTION

When you think of Jesus, where do you usually picture him: on earth, walking the streets of ancient Jerusalem? In heaven? At your side? Some other place?

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.