Daily Lesson for May 20, 2015

Today's daily lesson comes from Luke chapter 10 verses 17 through 20:

17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

We are not called to be successful, but faithful.

Jesus had sent his 72 followers out to preach the Gospel, heal, and cast out demons. They came back celebrated at what success they had -- even demons had listened to them. They rejoiced, and Jesus rejoiced with them; but then he used the occasion to teach them something they would need later -- when things weren't going to go so easily. "Nevertheless," he said, "do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

When we put all our emotional selves into whether we win or lose, whether others listen or not, whether we are received well or rejected, then our joy will always be subject to the vicissitudes of life and will turn to frustration and ultimately despair. Jesus was reminding them that their joy ought not be contingent on their "success"-- for success would not always come. 

He taught the disciples this lesson gain on the last night of his life, just before he was to undergo the ultimate rejection of his life and message. He knew they too would one day also undergo rejection.  He wanted them to be ready for that. He wanted them to keep their joy. "Nothing," he told them, "can take away your joy."

We do not rejoice in success or failure. Time and chance happen to all.  We seek not to be successful but to be faithful.  And we rejoice -- not in how well things go, but as Jesus said, we rejoice in our names having been written in heaven. In other words, we rejoice in having been true to God and in the end God's being true to us.  

This is enough; in fact it is everything because in the end it really is the only thing.