PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Luke 23:50-56
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“He himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 23:51)
What does it mean to ‘wait for the kingdom of God’.
If I wait for the bus, I sit at the bus stop and anticipate that it is coming.
If I wait for the light to turn green, I am in the lane, ready to proceed.
Waiting is not being passive; you need to be in a certain place and mind frame.
Joseph was hopeful and eager for the arrival of God’s better world.
He was living a good, upright life, he did not consent to Jesus’s wrongful treatment.
And he was disappointed when the bus did not come, the light did not change.
Even then, he still risked much to take Jesus’s body… his hope could not let go.
If God’s kingdom is a world where people love and serve and share and care…
Does my life show that this is what I desire, what I am seeking?
Jesus defeated Satan, sin and death, and has guaranteed God’s kingdom victory.
God’s better world of love, joy, peace is ours to discover by his Spirit.
Am I in that lane, am I at that stop, is my position and lifestyle aimed toward it?
Do people say of me, that this is the life I am committed to, and hoping for?
PRAYER
Lord, if I am hopeful for a world of honesty, am I being honest? If I am eager for a world of compassion, am I being compassionate? Help me to actively wait for your kingdom, because it is coming!
“It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.” Seems so appropriate – mankind’s real Sabbath had begun – once and for all. All the regular rituals of sin offerings and atonement – were now completed – true Sabbath – rest – could begin and it begins in Jesus – resurrection Sunday is coming! I need not fear that my sins are forgiven in Jesus – they are. I have Sabbath rest!
Standing up for Jesus.
He was a member of the council and even went to Pilate for the body of Christ to give Him a proper burial. Although he was looking for the kingdom he was already working in that kingdom. God uses His people for His purpose and at times we do not even realize that. We pray that His kingdom may come and it is coming, it is here but not in full. In the meantime Lord use me as a kingdom builder.
Make me a servant
Humble and meek
Lord let me lift up those who are weak
And may the prayers of my heart always be
Make me a servant
Make me a servant
Make me a servant today