JOY. Unspeakable JOY!

{Finding Joy in the True Reason for the Season}

JOY: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.

I’m reading through Luke 1-2 this month, meditating ON and rejoicing IN what we TRULY celebrate this season. The Savior of the world has come.

The King of kings came to earth to dwell among us, to call people from darkness to light, to adopt them into His kingdom, to clothe them with all the riches of Heaven, and invite them to dine at the Master’s table. Though we were once far off, we’ve been brought near!

The JOY of the world has come . . . JOY. Unspeakable JOY!

After all, shouldn’t we (the ones who have been grafted in) be the most JOYFUL of all this time of year?

Shouldn’t our hearts sing with gladness, just like Mary’s in Luke 1?

Shouldn’t we shine so brightly because our hearts overflow with His glow?

We can easily let errands, lists, gifts, busyness, late nights, and long lines consume us during this season. What if we let the words below consume our hearts and minds instead? What if we we truly celebrated the Reason for the season and found JOY in Him!

He loved.
He came.
He reconciled.
He adopted.
He delighted.
He is enthroned.

He is the Reason.
He is our Gift.
He is our JOY.
Let us REJOICE in Him!

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Luke 1:46-47)

I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Psalm 138:1-2)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:11)

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly (Psalm 138:6)