Romans 15:13 NKJV
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Beloved,
As we enter the Christmas season, we must not forget to remember what it is we are celebrating- God’s kingdom come and His glorious will being done on the earth.
Remember, the Prophet Isaiah and others like him gave us a heads up that:
Isaiah 11:10
“And in that day, there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.”
Let’s start with joy, today. There is one Christmas carol we love to sing:
“Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room…”
Beloved, the secret to joy is simple- have Christ Jesus in your heart. Sadly, even for those of us who have given our lives to Christ before, we love to allow other things to take His place and take up space in our heart. My prayer for you today is for those of us who are allowing so many other things to take up space in our lives. Cry out:
Psalm 51:12
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you”
Christ, Himself is our salvation and the only means by which true joy exists.
Joy is a force that creates victory! Like salvation itself, joy is available, but you have to choose it and that starts by choosing Christ.
It is a very sad thing to see people chasing the temporal things of this world believing that if they can do and live however, they choose, they will be filled with joy. It might be good in the moment- and that is because what we gain from temporal pleasures are just that, temporary. Joy is more than a feeling. The joy we are talking about is a source of empowerment that allows us to be unbothered by the affairs of this life. It is not ignorance or naivety or ignoring problems. It is a byproduct of faith that leads to victory. Joy is not moved by situations. It moves situations to work out in your favor and advance God’s kingdom on earth. If you will make the most out of this joyous season, take your time to develop your understanding of joy as you continue to develop your relationship with Christ Jesus.
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
