In the Upper Room, before his passion and death, our Lord Jesus prayed as our high priest to God. Jesus prayed for his disciples, for those whom the Father had given him, and for those who would come to believe through the apostles. Jesus declared that he would no longer be in the world, but they would be in the world, and he would soon be coming to the Lord. Jesus asked the Holy Father to keep them in his name, those whom he had given to Christ, in order that they might be one, even as he and his Father were one.

Jesus was the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary. He was not of this world. He descended from heaven to become one of us. So also, his followers are not of this world. We are born anew in the Holy Spirit, and we too now belong to heaven.

Spirit of God, we thank you for a new birth and pray that we would live as citizens of heaven.

The good news is, we can worship God the same way every day. We, too, can praise Him for His mighty acts. We can applaud His strength and acknowledge His power to defeat Satan, this world’s “god-king.” Along with Israel, we can proclaim that God is holy. And we can—and must—recognize God as our Deliverer, because just as He freed the Israelites to worship, He will free you from all that hinders your worship. Ego, depression, anger, fear—like the soldiers of Egypt, these will all drown. God wants to free you—today.

~ Vernon Whaley, Called to Worship: The Biblical Foundations of Our Response to God’s Call. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009. p. 67.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
The Spirit Is Here, Acts 2.1-21

Book Reading
Whaley, Called to Worship