RULES FOR REJOICING -- Devotional for June 14, from "Good Seeds"

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. (Luke 10:20).

If we can understand Christ’s meaning when He tells us we cannot be His disciples unless we hate everyone we love – and unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood (see June 13) – then maybe we can understand what Jesus means when He tells us not to rejoice whenever we have wonderful spiritual victories. Again, this is colorful, metaphorical language, using hyperbole (exaggeration) to get a point across that we might otherwise entirely miss. As part of their training, Jesus sent seventy of His followers out on a mission not unlike that of John the Baptist, to prepare the way of the Lord, to declare the coming of the Messiah. “The harvest is plenty,” He said, “but the laborers are few. Will you go, then, to work the soil, plant the seed, pull the weeds, and pick the fruit wherever you may find it?” They were to go into the highways and byways and the cities and hamlets of Israel, following certain specific instructions regarding personal preparations as well as ministry operations. It was to be a faith venture, depending on neither bulky backpacks of supplies nor a pre-planned itinerary, but rather leaning solely upon whatever the Spirit of God would supply and where He would lead, moment by moment. Jesus warned that it would not be smooth sailing, but to expect rejection and persecution every inch of the way. Theirs was to be a spiritual work in the physical world: First, they were to preach – to lost souls regarding the kingdom of God; Second, they were to reach – reach out and touch the bodies of people who were under the power of the devil. They were given powers both for physical healing and spiritual exorcism. And so they went, and so they did. We don’t know how long they were gone, but when they came back, it was like Joshua and Caleb upon returning from spying out the Promised Land: there was no talk of the giants of suffering and persecution, but rather rave reviews of what God had begun to accomplish through them. “The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons were subject to us in Your name.’” Jesus agreed, saying, “Yes, I was watching, and I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightening” (vss. 17-18). But then, in the midst of their unabashed excitement, Jesus seems to pour water on their on-fire spirits: “Cool it, fellas! There’s something far better than this, something that will make your recent victories look like dismal defeat by comparison. And it’s nothing you did for me, but what I’ve done for you. While you were busy believing and trusting in me, I’ve been busy preparing a place for you − and someday we’re going to be next door neighbors – in heaven. Want to rejoice? Rejoice in that!