Thrill

READY

"In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah, where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ...“Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed! ...Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!” —Luke 1:39-45

SET

Why do we do Action Sports? The answer is different for everyone, but a similarity we can all share is that we seek the thrill. Thrill is an interesting feeling and can be hard to pinpoint. As a surfer of 13 years, I find that thrill follows the “higher risk, higher reward” principal. In any sport event, the feeling of thrill is a reaction to being in an exhilarating situation. It’s thrilling dropping into a small wave at your local sand-bottom beach break. But dropping into a wave over a shallow, rocky reef and praying that you’ll make it out of the barrel is thrill on a whole different level. This is what leads us surfers to the chase. It’s why many of us wake up at the crack of dawn and drive spot to spot, only to be disappointed all too often.

Thrill reminds me of the concept of joy. What is joy? The Bible tells us, joy is how we feel when we see God move. In Luke 1:39-40, the author shares that a pregnant Mary visits Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her. “...and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41).

Biblically, this happens time and time again to people who chase God and His will. Before the birth of Jesus in 1 Chronicles 29, David is recorded as being ‘filled with joy’ as he watches his community generously rally around the building of God’s temple. He’s so grateful, in fact, that the next section in chapter 29 is David’s prayer of praise. In it he recognizes that God’s work is unfolding in front of him.

Even after Jesus’ ascension we see people reacting in joy to God’s movement too. Paul reminds the church in Rome, Romans 5:1-11, that we can “joyfully look forward to sharing God’s Glory” because of Jesus’ gift of salvation. We are even encouraged to joyfully look forward to trials and problems, as they strengthen our confident hope of salvation.

I urge you to chase joy in the same way you chase thrill. Be encouraged in how He moves through your brothers and sisters in Christ. What would my life look like if I chased joy in God’s works as much as I chased thrill? I pray that I will continue to find out.

GO

• How has God already moved that you have the ability to take joy in? (In the Bible, in experiences you’ve had with Him.)
• What does experiencing joy lead you to do? (David’s prayer of praise, 1 Chronicles 30.)
• How can you share this joy with others?

WORKOUT

1 Chronicles 29:1-20

Romans 5:1-11

OVERTIME

Jesus, at the mention of your name, John the Baptist leaped for joy inside of his mother's womb. As your brothers and sisters, we want continue to share that same excitement day by day. Give us unspeakable joy in good and unprecedented times. Let us be reminded that you came to save us from all our sins. That also is a thrill that no one can take away. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Jonathan Nunez grew up surfing in San Diego County, where he eventually graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2020. He now lives in Oceanside with his wife Hannah and serves full time with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes serving the Skate and Surf communities in the local area.