Read Romans 5:1-11,
Psalm 98
December 19
‘Tis the Season
“I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:11 NLT
Joy is never out of season for the believer. It is the inheritance and the promise of all who claim the name of Christian. All of this joy begins when God, in His love, came down to be born as a babe in Bethlehem. The glad tidings of great joy are not just an empty promise.
With this all being true, why is it that the joy of Christmas is missing in the lives of so many people? Why is depression so widespread and suicides so much more prevalent during the Christmas holiday season?
For many, it is the ghosts of Christmases past, and loss of loved ones who shared our joy that cause our sadness. For others it is the loss of innocence that time and sins have taken away. The financial stress of trying to meet everyone’s expectations for gifts and how we will pay for them takes its toll.
I personally suspect that Satan gets so upset over the coming of the One who brought real peace and joy to the world, that he unleashes his distractions of doubt, guilt, discontent and depression to rob as many as he can of the joy of Christmas.
Christmas is not the end of anything, but the beginning of everything that brings abundant joy into the lives of God’s children. Only when we focus on Who Christmas is all about, instead of what the world would turn it into, can we really know the joy of the season.
Jesus’ joy is ours when we abide in Him. It is a joy for all seasons, and for all circumstances. It is our strength and our peace. When life seems unfair, our hearts are broken, and we have only God’s promise that He works all things for our good to cling to. When we respond in the joy of the Lord, good things will happen.
Father, fill me with Your joy this Christmas and every day of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen
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