Daily Devotional

-July 8, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Being Filled With Joy And The Holy Spirit-

“And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”

(Acts 13:52).

The Christians in early church were new, growing, and serving the Lord with great excitement. Souls were getting saved, autonomous local churches with elders and deacons were being established, the Word of God was being taught, prayer was offered up to God, the believers were being edified and strengthen, and of course there was opposition and persecution.

Acts 2:42 gives the simple structure for the gatherings of believers, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. The saints had such a great love for one another, had all things in common, sold their possessions and distributed the proceeds to those in need. There was unity in their diversity. When Peter preached the gospel on the Day of Pentecost, three thousand souls were saved and another two thousand were added the next day to make five thousand. Satan opposed them and the Jews persecuted them, but they continued on in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle James was martyred as was Stephen, one of the first deacons. Still they stood strong in Christ. They shared the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest parts of the earth.

Our text tells us that the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. In the NT, being filled in this context is “to be controlled by.” Joy is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. When someone gets saved he or she is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit takes residence in our hearts and changes our lives. To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled and led by the Spirit. This depends on our submission and surrender to the Lord. There is joy in the Lord Jesus.

• They were filled with joy – The believers were filled with joy because Jesus Christ was their Lord and Savior. Joy is not the same as happiness. The former is based on our relationship to Christ, the latter on our happenings or circumstances. Circumstances change on a daily or hourly basis; our relationship with Jesus never changes. He gives us the inner joy no matter what we are going through at the time. Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). We have the reservoir of joy, but we must choose to rejoice always.” Someone once said, “Pain in enviable, misery is optional.” The joy of the Lord is our strength. It is our choice to rejoice. We choose to rejoice in the Lord.

• They were filled with the Holy Spirit – As I mentioned, being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Emotions are involved, but it it goes far behold emotion. The Spirit leads us, empowers us, and inspires us. He shows us Christ and helps us live for Him and serve Him. The Spirit is the means through which we share and preach the gospel, teach the word, and encourage others.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:18-21, “And do not be drunk with wine which dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” The Spirit filled life is the Christ centered life. Just as alcohol controls someone’s life and they do things they wouldn’t normally do, so too, the Holy Spirit controls our thoughts, words, and actions so we can please the Lord in all things.

May the Lord help us to be filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. The only thing that interferes with it is sin. That is why we must keep short accounts with the Lord by confessing and forsaking our sin. When we are filled with joy and the Holy Spirit people will notice our Christlike lives and will be impacted. When you overfill a glass with water, it spills over. We want our joy in Jesus to spill over to others.

Have a blessed day of joy in Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean