Jesus' last words

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Samuel 20:14–21:22 
Acts 1:1-26 
Psalm 121:1-8 
Proverbs 16:18 

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Acts 1:8 (CSB) "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Someone's last words are particularly meaningful. 

As a minister, there have been many times that I have gathered with family as a dear loved one was nearing death's door. On those occasions that the loved one knew that they were dying, the things they chose to tell their family and friends before passing away carried a lot of significance. Why? Because they were saying things that they perceived to be of utmost importance before the final goodbye was said.

When we get to our Verse for the Day, we read in Acts 1:8 Jesus' last words. It was after He said these words that He departed into Heaven where He has remained until this day.

Acts 1:8 (CSB) "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Since these were Jesus' last words, that are extremely significant. If we got nothing else, these words are what He wants us to remember.

So, what was He saying? 

That we have a message. 

That message is the Gospel (Jesus' died as the substitute of everyone who will place their trust in Him. His death, burial, and resurrection are more than sufficient to wipe our sin debt clean and empower us to live a God-honoring life empowered by His Holy Spirit. He will be our eternal reward in Heaven when we die.). 

The world needs the Gospel but we would be ineffective if it were not for God's empowerment. 

That empowerment came when the Holy Spirit began filling every believer. 

As we are filled, we need to get the Gospel out in our local city ("Jerusalem"), our community/state ("Judea"), the region just beyond where people are different from us ("Samaria"), and the rest of the world ("to the end of the earth").

This isn't just a passing verse that can be brushed over. They are Jesus' last words. By saying them last, He intended to put extreme significance on them. So, we had better be about the business of doing what He told us to do.