February 28

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? — Acts 1:11

The last glimpse this earth had of Jesus before He went away was as His hands were stretched out over His friends in the act of blessing them. That is always His attitude toward the world.

Jesus ever lives before God as our Intercessor. As such He has all our interests in His hands. He is also with us always, though we see Him not. Christ’s going away into heaven was not a loss to earth. His disciples stood gazing up after Him when He had been received up, but they were called away from this gazing. “Why stand ye gazing up into heaven?” Duty was waiting for them on the earth. They were summoned to prayer, and then presently, in answer to prayer, the Holy Spirit was given and the disciples went forth to their work.

We need to be diligent in duty, not wasting a moment in idle gazing. We do not have to climb to the stars to find Christ. He is ever near us, closer than our nearest friend.