This Christmas, one of the best gifts is joy. It comes from the presence of God. Joy is based upon our relationship with God. It is much different than “happiness” which is dependent upon our circumstances or other people. Joy never changes because God never changes. Joy is about God, Who is love and thus, it is selfless; while happiness is simply more about us.
When Jesus came to earth, His mission was to reconcile humanity to Himself and thus, give us the gift of everlasting joy.
A born again person who has made Jesus the center of their life, will undoubtedly experience His gift of joy to the fullest extent possible in this broken world. Joy is the experience of great comfort and complete satisfaction in a close relationship with God. God, Who IS LOVE, never changes and NO change in our circumstances can EVER separate us from Him:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If you want to fully experience God’s great gift of joy, then pursue Jesus with all your heart, soul, and mind. Make Him the center of all you do. Make Him your greatest love and you will find yourself in the midst of a love that gives you far more than it ever takes. God is FOR you more than even YOU are for you. He gave more for you than you can imagine.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us ALL things?”
At the center of God’s presence, we find His joy!
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The genuine joy we experience by knowing Christ conveys the message of the Gospel in a powerful way. We possess a deep satisfaction that fills our space with peace. It fills the entire room and touches everyone around us. It is not only laughter and smiles, but a quiet strength when things are hard. It is contagious and it sparks curiosity. It’s in our eyes and the way we react—or don’t react. People being to wonder. Then—we get to share our secret—our relationship with GOD is this joy they see. HE is the love they long for; HE is their greatest hope; and HE is the peace for their soul.
When Christ is the reason for our joy, then our joy is multiplied.
And it’s even more so at Christmas because it is the celebration of the BIRTH of our Joy! Christ was born to reconcile us to our Creator and give us the most IMPORTANT gifts—salvation, peace, hope, love, joy, strength, and wisdom.
