“He went on teaching form town to village, village to town, but keeping a steady course toward Jerusalem.” (Luke 13:22 MSG)
Day by day, Jesus yielded to the agenda of the Holy Spirit, yet at the same time, He stayed the course toward Jerusalem. Luke 4 lets us know He was led of the Spirit and empowered for ministry by the Spirit. Our Savior kept the end in mind and He did nothing to endanger the outcome.
This is such powerful instruction for us. We live our days out full of the Spirit and sensitive to His leading. We listen and obey, whether He takes us to the same people in the same place day in and day out, or He leads us to different places and different people. Our preference are set aside for the sake of the Kingdom.
Yet amidst all this, we never take our eyes off the prize of eternity. It is, after all, set in our hearts. We live every day on earth with heaven in mind. We see this example in our Savior: all the while He kept a steady course toward Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the doorway for salvation; the heavy slab only He could lift on our behalf.
But wait, it’s Christmas. Shouldn’t we be making merry and gazing in adoration over the edge of the manger? Yes, of course, Christmas is about Christ’s birth, about His life leading to the cross and His resurrection. Immanuel culminated in Pentecost: God with us became God in us and all of this took place so we humans could cross the threshold of heaven, whole and known.
So keep this in mind today in your Spirit-led comings and goings. Keep eternity set firmly in your sights and shared freely the truth about Who you have to know in order to get there. He’s more than an infant laid out in a feeding trough, He’s a God-man who changes everything.
“Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led but the Spirit in to the wild.” (Luke 4:1 MSG)
“Jesus returned to Galilee powerful int he Spirit.” (Luke 4:14 MSG)
Lord, may we recognize Your leading in our comings and goings today. Please keep our gaze locked in on eternity; may we move towards tomorrow with steady purpose. Use us to share You in our corner of the world. Amen.