JOY

One word the Lord has put on my heart this month is joy. 

Christmas-time is a season where we should be experiencing joy, but many people don't. "The holidays" are often filled with the most family tensions, the most suicides, the most discontentment. It's the end of a semester in schools, and there is the stress of papers and finals. There are travel arrangements to be made, presents to be bought, and events to organize. Many factors can contribute to lack of joy!

But Christ said he came to bring life...and life to the full (John 10:10). We sing "Joy to the World!" but do we really know that "the Lord has come?" What does it mean that our Lord has come? Isn't that the whole meaning of Christmas?

This Lord, our Lord, is called Immanuel, which means "God with us." Did you catch that? God...with...us. This is the only true source of joy!

"You made him glad with the joy of your presence." (Psalm 21:6)
"You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11)


It is only in the presence of God that we can find true joy! Not happiness based on circumstances, but the joy of communion with the Creator of the universe and the peace that only he can give. 


We can announce joy to the world because the Lord has come, making it possible for us to "approach God's throne of grace with confidence." No more barriers! No more limitations! We have direct access to the presence of God. 


I see myself so often still neglecting the presence of God, even though he abides in me. In my heart I want nothing more than to walk intimately with him, but I seem to constantly face sin and distractions. It is when I succumb to these things that I lose my joy, because I am living for myself again. 


But my prayer, for myself and for you, is that this month we may recover the JOY of walking with Christ, daily in his presence. That we won't be pressured by the world's empty celebrations, but that we would deny ourselves and help "every heart prepare him room." That we would be agents of joy to our lost and hurting friends and families. 


Celebrating God-with-us,
Kristyn