Bible Study: Acts 19, 1 to 8 and John
16, 29 to 33.
Be happy, Jesus says to us today. Be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world. This was the concluding part of a sermon given by Jesus
wherein he mentions the fact that the world hates us, that in the world we shall
experience pain and sorrow because we really do not belong to this world. He is
concluding now by telling us that AS MUCH AS BEING CHRISTIANS IN AN HOSTILE
WORLD IS A BATTLE, IT IS ONE THAT HAS BEEN WON ALREADY.
We do not fight as victims, rather we fight as victors in the
race to heaven. There may be moments it may seem as though the enemy is gaining
an upper hand over us but as far as Jesus has died on the Cross, Satan no
longer has the final say in this battle.
We do not fight alone lest we exasperate ourselves too easily,
rather we fight from the background of the Cross; we fight under the shadow of
Jesus, our Master. We do not fight in sorrow like those who have no hope of winning,
we fight with faith knowing that no matter what, victory is ours already.
One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy. You cannot have the
Holy Spirit fully in you and be sad and miserable at the same time. When Peter
visited the house of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit came down on the members of
the entire household, there was great rejoicing. In our first reading today, we
also see this rejoicing in display when Paul laid his hands on the Ephesians
and they received the Holy Spirit.
If God is in you, there is a supernatural joy and peace that you
enjoy such that tribulations and trials lose their grip over your life. Things
may not be working as planned, yet you still find a reason to be happy and
joyful because you know that there is nothing in this passing world that is
worth fretting over, because you know that your real life begins on the other
side of eternity.
True prosperity is not having so much material possessions and
money, true prosperity is achieving that state in life where your inner self is
totally unaffected either by the increase or decrease in material things. It is
living happily everyday fully content and grateful.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and its
fruit of joy that I may always be of good cheer despite whatever my come my
way.
God bless you. Good morning. Be
Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Have a great new week.
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