Joy

When I think of joy, I realize I think of something fleeting and momentary.  The joy on a child’s face as they open a Christmas present.  The spontaneous feeling I get when one of my children gives me a hug and tells me they love me.  I don’t usually think of joy as something I can have on an ongoing, normal, everyday basis.

But that is what Jesus came to give us.  Not a once-a-year Christmas time joy when we remember a baby in a manger, but a full-fledged, day to day, in the trenches kind of joy.  The kind that overcomes every circumstance a fallen world can throw at it.  The kind that is a fountain bubbling up inside of us to quench our deepest thirsts and longings.

I need this kind of joy and I suspect you do too.  There are too many times that I don’t allow myself to claim this gift of joy and instead I slog through my day in a depressed mood.  How much better it would be to drink deeply from this fountain of joy God has given us through Christ!  What would it be like to not worry about anything, bringing all those things immediately to our loving Father instead?  Philippians 4:4-7 says, “Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful.  Let your good sense be obvious to everybody.  The Lord is near.  Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition filled with gratitude, and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”  My hope is that as we go through our busy days, we will remember this verse and allow Jesus to fill us with amazing joy!

We began our Advent journey together with hope, which led us to love, which has now led us to joy and I love how the above verse ends with the peace of God, which is how we will conclude our journey next week.  Until then, may you be filled with joy!

Psalm 71:23 “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you–I, whom you have redeemed.”

I love Christmas music, so for each of these Advent posts I am going to be including a song.  Click here to listen!