[Darris McNeely] Jesus was with His disciples in the final time before He ascended to heaven, and they asked Him, “Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” His answer was, “It’s not for you to know the times or the dates. God the Father has set them by His own authority.” And then He went on to explain to them that they would receive power, and they would be witnesses of Him. It’s in Acts 1:6-8.

They should’ve known better because just a few days earlier than that – actually, a few weeks – on His entry into Jerusalem in the days before His death, Jesus also discerned the mood of the people around Him – His disciples and His followers – who thought that the kingdom would be restored at that time. And in Luke 19, there’s an extremely important parallel that shows a very important point. The disciples had to learn it, and we have to learn it today in our lives. We yearn for God’s kingdom, we pray, “Thy kingdom come” just as they did at the time of the – in Jesus’ day. And good people and Christians and members of His church have done so ever since.

But in doing so, as we look for that coming kingdom, it’s important we don’t miss the important lesson that Jesus wanted all of His disciples for all time to learn. And that is the power that He promised, the power of the Holy Spirit, is something that we are to use today to build character, and to overcome sin and this world. This is what Jesus wanted them to understand. “Look,” He said, “you go and you be witnesses of Me throughout the world” (Acts 1:8). In our daily life, we are to develop character and demonstrate the power of God in a human being to overcome self, this world, and even the power of the devil. And that can be difficult, that can be hard, and if we’re not careful, we don’t focus on that, then we can lose the benefit of what God has given to us and lose sight of what God wants us to do – and that is use this life as a preparation for the future rulership and time in His coming kingdom.

I read recently a very interesting comment that was given to an individual who wrote about it, where they had a teacher who said, “Look, whatever you do in your life, think in an eternal frame of mind.” Think in an eternal frame of mind. Doing that will help us to prepare ourselves for what God wants to use us for in His coming kingdom. And then we will be instruments in His hand and restore the kingdom of God to this earth.

That’s BT Daily. Join us next time.