Luke 10:20 “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

I don’t think at all that Jesus is forbidding us to rejoice over spiritual triumphs. He is rather telling us that our place in heaven is of far more value, far more worthy of joy, than anything we could experience on earth. Because we haven’t experienced the full joy of heaven, even those who have been there briefly in a near-death experience, we have trouble maintaining that perspective. Joys on earth are worth having, and aren’t to be discounted, but we always have something even better ahead of us. I like the tongue-in-cheek saying, “Serve God. The salary is good, and the retirement plan is out of this world!” The devil does all he can to distract us from this truth, enticing us with physical and emotional pleasures that lead to bondage and degradation and death. Modern science has given us insights into how he does that, with dopamine hits and endorphin highs of all sorts, but we need to remember that it’s ultimately a spiritual battle, and that in Christ, we are on the winning side. The devil tries to portray Christianity as a long-faced religion that’s no fun, and there have been some groups that have cooperated with that, sometimes in all sincerity. Conversely, today we have groups that are downright hedonistic, not restricting any physical pleasure. The answer to all of that is, as always, submitting to God and resisting the devil. (James 4:7) If we will do that, we will indeed have “inexpressible and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8)

I will never forget an experience I had one time in a small prayer meeting. There were just four of us: an American Augustinian friar, a German Jesuit priest, a Japanese Pentecostal pastor, and me. We had been singing some worship songs (in Japanese) and praying together, and the joy of the Lord came upon me so strongly that I literally said in my heart, “Lord, if You have anything else for me to do here, You’d better back off a bit, because I think that one more drop of joy and my body would give up and I’d go straight to heaven.” I don’t always keep that experience in the forefront of my memory, but doing so would help me get through some of the rough spots I still traverse. I’m not to go “joy hunting,” as some people literally do, I think. Such a focus will never result in more than momentary pleasures. Rather, I am to commit myself more and more to obedience to and fellowship with my Lord. Everything else good flows from that, and it is good indeed. After all, Jesus said that the Father delights to give us His kingdom! (Luke 12:32)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for yesterday and all it held. Thank You for the assurance You’re giving me that this church will be just fine in our absence. Thank You for the opportunity I have today to interpret for the online conference. May I do so with full accuracy, not just on a linguistic level but on the spiritual level, so that every participant may receive all that You have for them in this conference, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!