The first chapter of Acts presents the Lord 's departure from this earth. "He was taken up" into heaven. Undesirable as this seemed to His disciples, they were made quite equal to the occasion, for when the time came, it is said that they "returned to Jerusalem with great joy" (Luke 24:5252And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: (Luke 24:52)).
Since redemption's work is accomplished and Jesus glorified, the personal presence of the Holy Spirit on earth is the consequence. He is the strength and joy of our hearts during the absence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples seem to have had a foretaste of this.joy on the occasion referred to above.
Nevertheless, the Lord's absence still leaves a blank in the hearts of His own which can never be filled till they see Him. Therefore, the disciples hail with joy the words of the two heavenly witnesses who assured these "men of Galilee" as they looked up into heaven that this same Jesus who had been taken up from them into heaven should so come in like manner as they had seen Him go into heaven (Acts 1:1111Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)).
And when the Treasure was taken to heaven, the hearts of them that were set upon it were taken there too, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:2121For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:21)).
Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, was greatly attached to David. His heart had been won by acts of kindness, and when the king became an exile, Mephibosheth became a mourner. He refused to make himself at home where the king was not only without a throne, but without honor and without a resting place. It is true that Mephibosheth must have been more an object of pity than of envy, if we judge by appearance from the description given of him on the king's return in 2 Samuel 19:2424And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace. (2 Samuel 19:24). But God looks on the heart, and here was one whose joys were so wrapped up in the person of David that he found no rest apart from him. He knew nothing but joy when the king returned to Jerusalem in peace. Christian Truth
'Let us run with patience
the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of
our faith.”