Listen

“You are witnesses of these things. Look, I’m sending to you what my Father promised, but you are to stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.”

He led them out as far as Bethany, where he lifted his hands and blessed them. As he blessed them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem overwhelmed with joy. And they were continuously in the temple praising God.

Luke 24:48-53

Think

It must have been very cool to have Jesus walking around the earth teaching, healing and showing his disciples how to love. We know that after his death and resurrection, he did have to eventually leave the world. The people who got to see Jesus in his final days on earth were changed by having seen and known him. Even after he was gone, they kept on worshiping God, and they had a joy that made them different from everyone else.

What would it be like for us to have that kind of joy? It would be hard to worship God in church every single day of our lives, but it’s not quite as hard to have a spirit that worships God in our everyday lives. We may not have Jesus walking on earth with us any longer, but we do have access to his lessons and the joy that he gave the world. It could really make a difference in the world if we walked around with that same type of joy.

Courtney Willis

Question to Ponder:

What makes it hard to have joy in your heart all the time? What could change in your life or in your thinking that might help you remember Jesus with joy?

Pray

Dear God, guide me to remember that I have the lessons of Jesus to remember and help me as I live. Help me to live like Jesus so that others see the joy I have in my heart. I want to be more like Jesus in the way I…

Amen.

Go

May the knowledge that God is always with you fill your heart with joy.