Thought of the Day January 23, 2019 Is our joy contagious?
Jesus brought joy through his ministry, from the calling of his
disciples to the healing of those who were ill; from the raising of the
daughter of Jairus to the raising of Lazarus; from the feeding of the
multitudes to the deliverances from the bondage of Satan; from his joyful
entrance into Jerusalem to his own resurrection; from finding the lost sheep
and coin to the return of the prodigal son.
At the same time, seeing the effectiveness of the disciples’
ministry after he sent them to minister in his name, Luke tells us: “At that very moment he rejoiced [in] the holy Spirit and
said, ‘I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you
have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them
to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been
Jesus’
joy is contagious. The disciples were also caught up in the joy of the Lord at the
time of ministry. Jesus had sent the seventy-two disciples ahead of him to
minister in his name. Luke tells us: The seventy[-two] returned
rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your
name.” Pleased, Jesus helped them to see why they were joyful. They had
done the will of God in bringing the good news of salvation to those in need.
But Jesus told them that the real focus of their joy is beyond them. He said “Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice
because your names are written in heaven.” (Lk 10:21)
Is our joy contagious? (To be continued)
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