Choose Joyনমুনা

DAY 43 - FILLED WITH GREAT JOY

In this final week of our Choose Joy devotion, we'll look at the experience of joy in the Holy Spirit from the earliest moments of the church, an experience that the Scriptures promise to us today.

Reflection: Jesus visited his disciples for 40 days after his resurrection, showing them his reality and giving them final instructions as he ascended into heaven. Then 10 days later … the day of Pentecost. What can we learn about joy from Jesus’ last moments with his disciples and from the events of Pentecost?

Before the Ascension, we know the disciples obeyed by travelling to Bethany on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, even though they were afraid of what the Jewish authorities might do to them.

This obedience positioned them to receive Jesus’ blessing. The Greek word eulogeó means ‘confer benefit’, but can also mean ‘to speak well of’. They listened as the Son of God spoke goodness over them and about them.

Then, after witnessing Jesus ‘taken up’ into heaven, they worshipped him. Quite literally, this can mean falling prostrate before him as he disappeared into the heavenly realm.

As they returned home, the same disciples who had been confused, afraid, and traumatised are not just joyful but filled with great joy. No wonder this joy overflowed into spending all their time praising God.

We have no record of the next 10 days other than the disciples meeting in an upper room to pray and worship. We can imagine as the days passed, they may have been clinging desperately to the joy of Jesus’ final blessing, but also wondering about the future.

Imagine their surprised joy that morning when, instead of just another day, they hear sounds of a mighty storm, see flames leaping from each person, and then experience the infilling empowering of the Holy Spirit, overflowing into new languages. This doesn’t sound like a mournful occasion, but one full of joy and praise and wonder, so much so that those who heard the commotion thought they were drunk.

This is the ‘happy’ God giving birth to a joyful church so we can continue his mission of bringing joy and peace to the world. Let us also hungrily seek God’s promise of the Holy Spirit through Jesus, and joy will be the Spirit-filled miracle of our lives!

Choose joy: Find the link between obedience and joy in your life. Find the faith to align your life with his word. And open your heart to receive the Spirit, and you have the key to great joy.