The Gift

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1516. Today's Devo is called the Gift. Hey there. We're the Alessi's, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional podcast. Well, welcome back and happy Monday, everybody. This is Gabby Kladiud, your host for the week. And I have been so blessed listening to all of the Devos this month because it's been unique to now talk about, you know, we went through Easter together, we went through the Holy Week, but then to now grow from that and look at the different perspectives, the different characters and the people that were impacted by Easter week and to get their story and to dive in a little bit more about what they would have thought through the Easter season. And so I think it's been really great. My sisters have been killing it and I hope you guys have been enjoying it as well. And so now that we have discussed after Easter, during Easter, everybody's kind of reflections about Easter. There's a part of the a piece of this puzzle after the ascension of Jesus. So when Jesus would have come back to life, he would have been on the earth for 40 days. But then once he goes back and ascends back into heaven, he makes this promise that after he ascends that God will send a gift. He will send his Spirit. And so what I want to do this week is talk about the Spirit and the gift of the Spirit. What is that gift? We're going to read today from Acts, verse, chapter one, verses three through five. And I'm gonna do some different versions and translations this week. Most of them are gonna be an niv. Today's is an niv, actually. And it says this. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God. This is what I was just saying. For 40 days, Jesus came back to them and was basically having these conversations of what's to come. It says this, on one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command, do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So context here. At this point in time, the disciples would have seen Jesus die. They would have seen him be on the cross. They would have seen him buried, and they would have seen him raised to life. They would have talked with him. They would have seen him now not just as the Jesus pre resurrection. They would be speaking to a resurrected Jesus, a Jesus with, with holes in his hands and in his feet, a Jesus with maybe some scars and some wounds to prove that he was crucified for us. They would have been contemplating the last few years that they spent with Jesus. They would have thought about the salvation that he brought them, the miracles that they witnessed and, and the life that he gave them. They might have believed at this point in time that the gift was in the past, that the gift had already come and that gift was Jesus. They might have believed that the best days that they experienced were behind them. And now Jesus is sitting with them saying, hey, wait here, because a gift is coming. I love the chosen show because it actually gives you a real understanding of what the disciples would have been going through. Because I think for us it's easy. We're reading this in hindsight. We read the Bible with 2020 vision because we know, we know the end of the story. We even know information about the end times. Like we have a lot more information and knowledge of what happened and what was going to happen than the disciples did. They were hearing this stuff in real time. So in this moment they were probably thinking, what do you mean a gift? Jesus, you're the gift. Jesus, you're leaving us. Our best days are behind us. We saw the miracles, man. That was the end of an era that was a season that we'll never go back to. And they would have thought that there couldn't be something that was greater around the corner. I wonder if that's you today. I wonder if you think, man, the best of my days are behind me. The best years that I've lived are behind me, man. The gifts that I got, those were, they're in the past. I'm not going to receive anything else today. You know, God has nothing left for me. But then Jesus says something to these disciples in the midst of them, thinking, our best days are in the past. He says, wait for the gift. And I think that is a message for us today that you need to wait on the gift that God has for you. What's the gift? It's the Holy Spirit. God gave the disciples the gift of, of the Holy Spirit. And I love that he used the word gift because it means it's something that we didn't ask for. It's a surprise. A gift is a surprise. It's something that's not on a wish list. It's not something that, oh, they prayed for. No, it was something that God gave to them because he knows they needed it. He knew the disciples were going to need the gift of the Holy Spirit. And here's what we saw. When the Holy Spirit came to them as a gift, their best days were truly ahead of them. Them. They had a new authority, they had a new way of speaking. They had a new message to deliver. They weren't preaching before, they were preaching now. They weren't doing miracles before, they were doing miracles now. Why? Because the Holy Spirit came upon them as a gift. I truly believe that your best days are ahead. That there is a gift that God has given you. God has given you the Holy Spirit. And you might think, well, you know, it was my, my golden years. It was the golden age that I was a part of and you know, it was great, but God doesn't have something left for me. Wherever you're at in your life, whether you're older, younger, best days are ahead of you. In the name of Jesus, God has more for you in store because he has a gift planned for you. You just gotta wait for it. And when the gift comes, use that gift, step out in that gift, and you might be thinking, well, Gabby, what exactly is the gift of the Holy Spirit? What can the Holy Spirit do for me? Tune in this week and you will find out because we're going to break down the gift that is the Holy Spirit. Your best days are ahead because of the Holy Spirit in your life. Father, we thank you for your spirit. We thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. And we thank you, Lord, like, just like the disciples. Our best days are ahead because you've given us the spirit to empower us, even equip us and build us up. We thank you for it all. In Jesus name, amen. So there you have it, your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend. Leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow. We pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.