Elizabeth and the Holy Spirit

Luke 1:1-56

As I read this passage, I was struck.  There was one small sentence that had large impact.
Verse 42, "Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."  The verses that follow this short sentence are full of conviction and encouragement for me (verses 43-45).

Look at the results of a woman filled with the Holy Spirit:

• Instant understanding of what God had done/was doing.  She immediately felt the child in her womb leap for joy when her cousin Mary was coming, and thus knew that Mary carried the Messiah was in her womb.  
• Loud exclamation of joy
• A spirit of humility - "blessed are you among women," she cried.  Elizabeth must have felt uniquely special and possibly a bit of spiritual pride that God had opened her womb.  But, she put aside that feeling and rejoiced in Mary having an even greater experience than Elizabeth.  Mary was carrying the Messiah and Elizabeth rejoiced greatly. 
• A spirit of honesty - She told Mary all that she was feeling, her unabashed joy and excitement.
• A spirit of encouragement/ a lifting up of Mary - "blessed is she who believed,"  she told Mary.  Elizabeth had a sense of pride toward Mary for her godly and faithful reaction to her immaculate conception. 

May I open myself up to the working of the Holy Spirit in my life and have the same results as Elizabeth did:

• instant understanding of what God has done/is doing right in front of me - There are two ways I can go about my day: 1) seeing ciurcumstances/happenings with a temporal view, or 2) seeing them as God sees them through the understanding of the Holy Spirit. 
• joy expressed
• A spirit of humility - allow myself to rejoice in others' gifts, talents and circumstances
• A spirit of honesty - not holding back when in conversation with others regarding what God is doing in and around me. 
• A spirit of encouragement - being humble enough to encourage others - even if it means lifting them higher than me. 

All for the glory of God and the praise of His glorious grace.