45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised;but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
As I finish Luke today, 107 blogs later, I am constantly amazed at how God, through the Holy Spirit inside of me, speaks through His word everytime. I have instructed people in classes I've taught before, that a great way to do quiet times is to get out a journal (I blog because I can't read my writing), sit down with the open Word, and pray"God speak to me through your word. I'm not getting up from this chair until you do." I totally believe that God wants to and will answer that request and that He is pleased with it. These 107 blogs are proof of that prayer being answered as many times I read a passage and have nothing and I ponder on it and a thought comes to mind and I start writing about it.
How does all that relate to the passage? The first verse, "then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures", shows exactly what I am talking about. God has given us the Holy Spirit, who was the gift from the Father that they were to wait for in Jerusalem, who opens our minds to understand the Scriptures. And these thoughts are different for every one who reads them and different for you at a later date depending on what God thinks you need at the time. When you read this account in Luke and Acts, it is very different- not contradictory, just different. You might say,"well, it was a different author's perspective", until you realize, "wait, it is the same author, Luke, that wrote both books." So why are they so different? I think it goes along with what I was saying that different facets of God's Word will be important to you on different days just like certain parts of Christ's post resurrection teachings and ascension, and what the disciples did while they waited for Pentecost, were important to Luke on different days so his "blogs" were different every day.
I encourage you to start journaling or bogging and writing your thoughts on the Bible, God's holy, inspired, inerrant Word that comes alive to believers each time they read it through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. I once had a guy who worked at a restaurant use this illustration. He said the Bible was like a mix of blueberry muffins. It's dry, not tasty, not exciting until you add water. Then suddenly it tastes delicious and comes alive. Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the "water". You have it. Pour Him on the Bible on a daily basis.
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