Tues., 11/26/19 Devotion (Lk. 10:20)

Today's encouragement comes from Luke 10:20, where we read these words of our Savior:

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Christ-loving Christian churchmen are to rejoice (always), but we need to be a bit careful concerning those things about which we delight. The disciples (above) were thrilled that the devil cowered before them. Jesus, on the other hand, would have them direct their excitement to the fact that they were God’s authentic children and ministers, called by Christ Himself.

The church's conquest of the world, our own flesh, sin, sinners, Satan, and his demons is all a good thing. But we must always keep in mind the fact that God takes even more pleasure in positive salvation than He does the destruc-tion of the wicked; and so should we.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Do you wonder why the grace of God has found such enemies as it always has, especially in religions in which works are mingled with grace?” —Richard Sibbes, in, "Glorious Freedom"]