Pastor Mary is visiting her brother this week, and I have the privilege of filling in for our devotional time while she is with her family. Please continue to pray for all of them.
If you recall, last Thursday, Pastor Mary reminded us that it was Ascension Day. Ascension Day is 40 days after Easter and celebrates the ascension of Jesus from this earthly realm into His exalted place within the eternal heavenly realm. There are 10 days from Ascension Day until Pentecost, which we will celebrate this coming Sunday, May 24, 2026.
Our passage today, from Peter, does a perfect job of bridging Ascension Day and Pentecost, not only for the disciples but also for us as believers. Keep in mind, as Luke tells us in Acts 1, the disciples were primarily waiting, praying, worshiping, and preparing their hearts while gathered together in the upper room. If you think about it, they had no idea what was going to happen on Pentecost and so they were faithfully waiting on God’s direction and appointed time, just as you and I have to do all of the time. The disciples were waiting between a time of promise and a time of fulfillment, and their hearts were aligned with Jesus, so they would not miss out on what God was bringing them, which was the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. God wants to do the same for each one of us all of the time. We “miss out” when we step out of alignment with Jesus.
Friends, waiting is not wasted time. Just as the disciples waited in prayer, worship, and a time of preparation, Peter reminds us that as believers we are called to leave behind our old lives so that we can keep moving forward in living out our renewed lives with Jesus. We do this by surrendering our flesh to the constant work of the Holy Spirit. Our spiritual preparation takes time as it does not happen overnight, it is hard work that takes faithful dedication and discipline, and honestly, we are constantly growing in our spiritual preparation as long as we are on this side of the heavenly realm.
So, we need to keep asking ourselves, what is it within my life that I need to surrender so that the Holy Spirit can move more freely within me?
1 Peter 4:1-6 (NLT)
Living for God
1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.
4 Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that as we wait upon You, we need to continue to faithfully surrender our flesh so that the Holy Spirit can move freely within us. Help each one of us today, to be more prayerful, to be more devoted as worshippers, and to lay down something that we need to surrender to You, so that we can grow spiritually deeper with You, Jesus. Holy Spirit, thank You for guiding us today. We ask that You please continue to be with everyone who needs Your healing touch and guidance today, especially Pastor Mary and her family. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.