Luke 24:51 - John Hagee Daily Devotional (August-20-2025). Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
Jewish families have practiced the power of the blessing since the days of Moses. Jewish fathers and mothers bless their children at Sabbath meals and bar or bat mitzvahs. They place their hands on their heads, and they speak aloud a blessing in the name of God. Their children live under the anointing of that blessing spoken over them by a spiritual authority.
Jesus of Nazareth began His public ministry with eight blessings in the Sermon on the Mount. Over and over, He pronounced believers to be blessed. He made it clear that God intends for us to be blessed.
Traditionally, Jewish rabbis delivered their messages from beginning to end without stopping. However, Jesus paused in the middle of His teaching to bless the little children. The disciples desperately tried to prevent the children from getting to Him, because that is what tradition dictated. However, Jesus welcomed the interruption, gathered them up in His arms, and blessed them. Throughout His time on earth, He imparted blessings to those He taught and touched.
Jesus began His earthly ministry with blessings, and He completed it with a blessing. The final thing that He did for His disciples was to bestow a blessing as He ascended into heaven. Jesus recognized and demonstrated the power of the blessing. Shouldn’t we?
Today's Blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. Through dedicated speech and believing lips will God open the windows of heaven and bless you beyond your capacity to contain it!
Today's Bible Reading:
- Old Testament Esther 4:1-7:10
- New Testament 1 Corinthians 12:1-26
- Psalms & Proverbs: Psalms 36:1-12; Proverbs 21:21-22
