understanding the scriptures can only result in worship!

Today I was reading out of the four gospels the passages on the Great Commission. I was struck as I read the portion from Luke. In verse 44 of the 24th chapter, Jesus is talking to his disciples saying, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Luke then records this amazing comment, "Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures..." I can only take this to mean that up until this point, they hadn't been clearly perceiving who Jesus was, and what he came to do. Next in the passage Jesus states the purposes for which he came, and gives promises and commands upon his leaving. Then during the account of Jesus' ascension, after Jesus had led them out of the city and gave them a blessing Luke writes, "And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God."

When I think of the implications of this, I'm humbled. One of the promises of Christ was that he was leaving us his Spirit, the Helper, not just to come upon us as he did in the O.T. times, but to actually dwell within in us...amazing! As we read the scripture, the Spirit is continually opening our minds, the eyes of our hearts, to understand what we're reading, and our response should always be that of worship. I'm feeling very blessed today, though it's no different than any other day in that I'm blessed. I'm reminded of the passage in Ephesians wherein Paul is giving his thanksgiving and prayer for those in Ephesus. He writes, "For this reason...I never cease to give thanks for you, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you...the riches of his inheritance...the immeasurable greatness of his power..."

Pressing on to know Him with you, that we may glorify Him together!