Joy to the World, the Lord has come! Have you ever been able to sing that Christmas Carol without having a little Joy just spilling over into your heart? I know I haven’t. Joy, this is what the world needs a little more of, especially the last couple of years, RIGHT? What does the Joy of Christmas mean to you? To me it means focusing on the one who brings us Joy. In John 15 Jesus says to us:
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11
What are the things Jesus was speaking to us?
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:9-10
Jesus is telling us to have His Joy complete in us we must be abiding in Him. We have to focus on Him. What better time of the year than Christmas to be sure that your heart abides in Him. Abiding means keeping His commandments and spending time with Him. Webster defines abide as:
1. to remain stable or fixed in a state. 2 to continue in a place.
Abiding with Him is remaining stable with Him, keep your eyes and your heart fixed on Jesus and Jesus is telling us that is when our Joy will be full. I pray that as we focus our hearts and our minds on Him this Christmas season that we feel His Joy complete deep down in our hearts and that it is to the overflowing.
The last couple of years have been really hard years. We’ve lost loved ones, we have seen natural disasters and social unrest in our country. We are dealing with inflation and sickness and death. The pandemic has ushered in hard times and well quite frankly, we had gotten used to our cushy lifestyles. Everyone says they are ready for things to go back to “normal. The pandemic has stolen lots of things from us. But one thing this pandemic and the last couple of years cannot take from me, is the Joy that is deep in my heart from spending time with Jesus. I pray that you will let your heart prepare Him room today so that no matter what your circumstances of 2021 are, you too can sing.
Joy to the World the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King!
Restore 