Advent 3: Joy

While the Christmas season is a joyous time for many, the stress and busyness of the season can sometimes distract us from the joy we have in Christ.  For many the holidays can be a time of loneliness and missing our lost loved ones.  However, we find in Scripture that the only source of true joy is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  True and permanent joy flows naturally from knowing and believing the truth that God valued each of us so highly that he would send Jesus, His only begotten Son, to die for our sins and to reveal God most clearly to us.  While many things will make us happy this Christmas season Christ alone gives us joy.

Joy to the World

"Joy" is a word we hear quite frequently in the holiday season. It is a word that is often written in large glittery letters across shiny Christmas cards and in lights over windows. It becomes so familiar that we often fail to think about the importance of this word. What is joy? How did it come to the world in the person of Jesus Christ? If "joy" is simply a synonym for "happiness" then we find that there was plenty of joy in the world already, however Biblical joy is much more than just happiness.

Like all of the fruit of the Spirit joy is something that is the product of the believer in Christ in spite of any circumstance. Joy is a deeper gladness of heart that cannot be affected by any outward circumstances. The growth of joy in the life of the believer is the mark of maturity that enables the Christian to step into every day with love and good cheer, knowing that the Lord will complete His good work in each of us. And while we can sustain many painful losses in this life, not one force on earth can touch our eternal position in the Heavenlies in Christ. Here is the striking reality: The only way that this world could ever see true joy isn't on a card, or written in lights. It is the burning flame that emanates from the heart and life of every person who is living in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, each and every day. The Christmas card that really matters is you!

...you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:3

How much Perfection can a day hold?

I may have to group all of these "perfect day" posts together and hide them under something heavy for another day when I will need them. This has been another one of those days/moments that I simply want to freeze in time.

After a somewhat turbulent night's sleep I awoke, had a great time of prayer. Enjoyed eating eggs with my kids (watching kids peel/eat boiled eggs is a great pleasure that is often overlooked). Then bustled off to church to get some things done there. Praying over the congregation here is such a pleasure and an honor I cannot describe it fully.

I did my morning reading and prepared for my days studies. Providence forced a change of locale and off I went to the local coffee shop. This coffee shop is a nice sized house to which a friend had given us a gift certificate. For just over $2 an "all day cup" is given and since 10:00 I have been sitting listening to my bluegrass music, slowly sipping coffee and building studies for our Sunday evening service, and our Thursday pm. Romans group.

The weather is getting cooler and I am in a comfortable sweater and my favorite hat. I am blessed with a wonderful, loving and supportive wife; and supported by the Body of Christ. But of course I haven't even mentioned my 3 happy, healthy children and the endless love and care with which Christ has filled me for them. How much perfect can you fit in one day? There is only one word to describe such perfection that I have no way of taking any credit for: Grace.