Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Return with Joy



For Wednesday, October 24th



The seventy returned 
with joy, saying, 
‘Lord, in your name
 even the demons
 submit to us!’ He
 said to them, ‘I
 watched Satan fall
 from heaven like
 a flash of lightning.
 See, I have given you authority to tread 
on snakes and 
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 
Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice 
that your names are written in heaven.’
 At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, 
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things 
from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, 
Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed 
over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the 
Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the 
Son chooses to reveal him.’ Luke 10:17-24

Today I am traveling home to Massachusetts as my time in Montana is done. 
As hard as it is to leave, it is thrilling to be home again. And, the work here was
 blessed and I know it will continue. The joy in returning is the wondrous stories 
to tell, knowing that the amazing things that happened are not my doing, but are
 God's. And I will revel in that returning and look forward to hearing of the
 wonderful works that continue on.

Jesus had sent his disciples out with nothing. They were probably very skeptical
 about what would happen to them, and secretly feared the worst. We often do 
when we take on a new assignment or a new adventure. Yet, they returned with
 joy, blessed beyond reason. We are assured that all we do in Christ's name,
 all we do for love, will be blessed. We can and do go forth with trepidation,
 yet we can also trust for God to send the heaps of blessings.

Today, I ask God to help me go forth with rejoicing and joy, even when
 the road ahead is unclear and confusing. May we all trust that the little we 
offer, the little we have, will be made into blessings as miracles as we go
 forth in love.

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