Luke 10:21-22
New International Version (NIV)
21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
At some point I'm going to have to go back and see how many times the Spirit is referenced over the course of this study. It's going to be an interesting statistic. Here's another reference to the Spirit that I've never noticed before: Jesus is full of joy through the Holy Spirit. Have you ever realized that your joy comes through the Spirit?
I don't believe this is a giddy sort of joy, or a hyper sort of joy, or a "everything all perfect all the time" joy. Instead, it's that deep knowledge that God is in control, and that He will make all things perfect in their time. It's that joy that keeps you from blowing up at the fast food cashier who keeps getting your order wrong. You're able to back up and look at the bigger picture... and smile.
Spirit-led joy is a wonderful thing. Here, Jesus sees the Pharisees and teachers of the law twisting his words, plotting against him, and generally making his life miserable, and he is filled with...joy??!!? Yes, because he sees the bigger picture. He sees the irony in the fact that little children can see God when these "teachers" can't. I can almost picture him shaking his head, a tiny smile on his face. Nothing but Spirit-led joy could take such a negative and allow it to be viewed as a positive.
I want, covet, desire that joy. But I realize that it starts with me. To get it, I have to allow the Spirit to be active in my life, and to follow His lead in each and every situation. It will take discipline. But the payoff is JOY! (Right now I'm picturing Perry Taylor singing, "J-O-Y, down in my heart, deep deep down in my heart!") And that is a payoff worth working for.
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