Where Do I Go from Here? Occupy Until I Come
Robin Davenport, Guest Writer
Today’s Treasure
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:6-11 ESV
Jesus’s followers had witnessed His death, burial, and resurrection. On the day of His death, they felt hopeless. The one they had waited and longed for to deliver them from the dominion of Rome had just been brutally crucified. When they saw that He had been resurrected, their hope returned, and they looked for Him to restore the kingdom to Israel.
For forty days following His resurrection, He spent time with His disciples, He fellowshipped with them, taught them about the kingdom of God, and demonstrated to them that He had risen indeed. I can just imagine the joy they felt in knowing that their Messiah had been resurrected from the cruel death of crucifixion, and He was talking to them about what life would be like in the kingdom of God. He was preparing them for His return to Heaven and the next step in their call to be His witnesses. Jesus had told them that He must go so that the Holy Spirit could come to comfort and lead them into all truth. The Holy Spirit would empower them to fulfill their role as Jesus’s witnesses. Oh, so much to comprehend with a finite mind and limited perspective!
I wonder what thoughts ran through their minds as He told them that it was not for them to know the times the Father had fixed by His own authority? I wonder what emotions they experienced as they watched their Messiah disappear in a cloud. I wonder how long it took them to grasp the words of the angels that the same Jesus they saw go up into Heaven would come back in the same way He left… I wonder…
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Easter brings a great celebration of new life and the secure hope of the resurrection. Easter of 2022 was a joyous time filled with hope. Our son had passed away on February 2nd, 2021 and just ten months later, my mother passed away on December 15th, 2021. Easter greeted my heart with songs of celebration and filled my mind with scriptures that share the joyous truths of the resurrection. We attended an Easter Sunrise Service in the cemetery where our son is buried. As the sun rose that morning, its rays filtered through the trees and touched our son’s grave giving us an image of the day Jesus will return with our son, his grave will burst open, and a resurrected body will arise:
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 ESV
Then came Monday following that precious Easter Sunday. I wanted Jesus to return right then! I wondered how the women felt when they realized that Jesus was not going to set up His kingdom immediately following His resurrection. This was a huge transition to go from Jesus’s death to his resurrection and then to Him returning to Heaven without setting up the earthly kingdom of God.
The sweet Holy Spirit began to comfort my heart and remind me of the words of Jesus:
Jesus said, Occupy till I come.
Luke 19:13b KJV
Jesus instructed His disciples to occupy until He comes when they thought the kingdom of God should appear immediately. Occupy means to do business. If we do business with the gifts and tools God gives to us, there will be a great return of souls. What is that business? To be witnesses of Jesus who are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus returns, I want to hear Him say “Well done good and faithful servant.” I want to occupy until He comes.
PRAYER
Father, Thank You for the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Thank You for salvation and the eternal secure hope of the resurrection. Thank You that one day we will be reunited with our loved ones in Your kingdom where we will live eternally in Your presence. Until then, empower us with Your sweet Holy Spirit so that we can be witnesses who occupy until You come. In Jesus' name, amen.
Sharon W. Betters is author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness and co-author of Treasures of Faith. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a non profit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.