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READINGS: Acts 8:26-36,38-40
[26]As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
[27]So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
[28]and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
[29]The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
[30]Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
[31]The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.
[32]The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
[33]He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
[34]The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”
[35]So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.
[36]As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”
[38]He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
[39]When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.
[40]Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.
The Greek word for joy is chara. Joy is the natural reaction to the work of God, whether promised or fulfilled. Joy expresses God's kingdom; His influence on earth. The Spirits production of joy can manifest in several different ways.
Literally, the "fruit of the Spirit" is what happens when the Holy Spirit indwells a believer. The "fruit" is the product of the Holy Spirit's cultivation of character in a heart.
This is not the joy of alcohol or material possessions but deep gladness in the Spirit. It is not mere natural cheerfulness but the unfailing lightness, brightness and calmness of the heart given by the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit works in us to bear more fruit, we become confident in God's promises and rejoice in our walk with Him and with other believers. When we have joy because of God's grace, the next step is the progression is to allow our joy to become an action as we express it. Although it sometimes can be so great, it is inexpressible.
Our greatest reason to be joyful is that God through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus has reconciled us unto Himself and has purchased for us eternal heavenly inheritance. Nothing is better than this. As the Holy Spirit is in us to bear more fruit, we become confident in God's promises and rejoice in our walk with Him and with other believers
Hope you have learnt something new today.
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