They returned from the glorious mission of healing the sick, delivering the captives, and using Christian authority over Satan.

They were overwhelmed with joy.

But the Lord immediately warned them, saying:

…do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoicebecause your names are written in heaven. Luke 10.20

It is one thing to receive blessings in all areas of life in this world and also serve as a vehicle for those blessings.

It is another thing to receive the blessing of blessings: the certainty of having your name written in the Book of Life, granted by the Spirit of God, and also serve as an instrument of this glory.

All blessings related to a person’s material life are like crumbs compared to the greatness of serving as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

Nothing in this world, no matter how rich, how beautiful, how pleasant, no matter what it is, nothing compares to the fullness of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus.

Because of this, nothing and no one is able to remove the joy, peace, and conviction His presence has within a person.

He is the inexhaustible Hidden Treasure, found by those who seek Him with all their might, with all their understanding and with all their heart.

Of course, in His absence, any crumb, even when it is bitter, is as sweet as honey.

The immense joy of those disciples had nothing to do with the joy and the absolute conviction of being the living temple of the Holy Spirit.