Burning Daylight

As they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?”
–Acts 1:10–11

One of the greatest miracles of all time was Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Notice what happened as He rose up from the Mount of Olives in front of His disciples: “As they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10–11).

The angels were reminding the disciples of Jesus’ promise to come back again, but they were also giving the disciples a gentle rebuke. When the angels asked, “Why do you stand looking into the sky?” they were saying, “You’re burning daylight. It’s time to get back to what the Lord told you to do.” It’s understandable that the disciples were distracted by the miracle they had just witnessed. But they could not afford to stand around; they had work to do. Jesus had commanded them to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (v. 8).

The same is true for us today. Our primary mission is to spread the gospel. Think about this: When Jesus ascended into heaven, He could have taken all His followers with Him. And the moment you trusted in Christ as your Savior, God could have taken you to heaven to be with Him. But God didn’t do that. He left us here on earth to be His witnesses.

If you’re a Christian, your primary title is not husband, wife, parent, pastor, or whatever you put at the top of your résumé. Your primary title is witness. When you wake up and when you go to bed, you ought to be thinking, How can I win more people to faith in Christ? That’s your mission, and you have a limited amount of time to carry it out. Are you going to burn daylight, or are you going to take advantage of the time God has given you to do what He commanded?

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Unstoppable Power” and “The Promise,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.