The people that walked in darkness have seen a great
light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the
light shined. Thou
hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee
according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
(Isaiah 9:2-3 KJV)
*A special time
of year is upon us—the season of Advent.
On November 29, 2015, we marked the first Sunday of Advent; this post
takes a look at the third candle. To
read the previous posts in my Advent series please see: Advent, The Candle of Hope,
and The Candle of Peace.
From http://thevillagechurch.net/mediafiles/uploaded/b/0e2647577_1384444032_blog-advent-2013.jpg |
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:10 KJV)
From http://blogoneanother.com/uploads/6a00d83452126569e20120a74df231970b-pi |
Joy. Joy is a word
that likely brings many thoughts to mind, especially during this time of
year. {Click here to Tweet} In the natural, it is easy to
struggle with finding any degree of joy
at times. {Click here to Tweet} However, for those who are in
Christ Jesus, joy should be a natural outflow of a relationship with our
Savior. {Click here to Tweet} Joy is possible, even in the
midst of the incredibly hard times of life.
From http://www.beckydurham.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Advent-Wreath-3.jpg |
On the third Sunday of Advent, we light the Candle of JOY
(or in some traditions it is the Shepherd’s Candle). Jesus Christ is our joy! The third Sunday of Advent reminds us that
in Jesus we have true HOPE, PEACE, and JOY. {Click here to Tweet} Hope, peace, and joy that is true and solid—so true and solid that it
lasts for all eternity!
The story of Christmas is one of great joy. {Click here to Tweet} Remember how Jesus’ birth was proclaimed and
how the shepherds received the news with great joy, and how the wise men
traveled from a great distance to see the newly born King of the Jews?
As Christians, we can experience joy and peace that others
in this world cannot fathom. If not, it
likely means that we have taken our eyes off of the Lord and placed them in the
world or the flesh. Our joy and peace
should be seen by others; perhaps enough to make them take note and want to
know more.
How have you experienced this joy?
This joy and peace has nothing to do with what is going on
in our lives. The joy Jesus gives to us,
gives us strength—strength to face the loss of family and so much more. {Click here to Tweet} Those who have a deep relationship with the
Lord find joy in heartache that comes with the death of beloved family members—they
rejoice knowing their loved one (who is saved) is with their Savior and
Lord. Yes, they are sad, yet not without
hope or joy.
Countless believers have counted the cost of following Christ
and found it a cost worth paying. {Click here to Tweet} They
have found the hope, peace, and joy that
seems elusive at times. The question is:
have you found it too? {Click here to Tweet}
From https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VP187gqvukM/hqdefault.jpg |
If you have not yet experienced this inner joy; what are
you waiting for? Jesus stands ready to
welcome you to Him—He has already said “yes” to you. Salvation is in Jesus alone; we cannot get to
heaven without Jesus as our Savior. No
one gets to heaven by being a “good person”—all our good deeds are but filthy
rags (see Isaiah 64:6).
Then he said
unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions
unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10 KJV emphasis mine)
Christmas is a wonderful time to focus on JOY—an emotion
that is sometimes hard to come by in this world, especially during the busy
holiday season. What joy we should feel
when we deeply consider that Jesus came to this world He created to provide a
way for us to be reunited with our Heavenly Father. He did this willingly, knowing what He would
endure. He loves us so much that He did
what only He could do. Because of that,
I rejoice… What about you?
From http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/LifeWayChristianResources/005588858?$Product$ |
Take some time prior to and on Christmas Day to truly focus
on Jesus whose birth we celebrate. {Click here to Tweet}
Remember the Reason for the Season!
What can you do to focus on the joy found in Jesus? {Click here to Tweet}
Please do not forget your single friends, family, neighbors, or
those in your church who will be alone on Christmas Day—consider inviting them
to join with your family (no matter how simple and informal the gathering
is)—the blessings will flow both ways!
Whatever you do, please do not
tell them, “Oh, God is with you…” and then walk off, ignoring their hurting
heart and heart-felt desire to fellowship with others on Christmas Day. Do not assume they want to spend the day
alone. Your family may be the only
family they will get to experience…EVER.
Please join with me in prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the Joy we can experience because of
Jesus, who restores our relationship with You.
Direct our focus to that JOY, especially during those times that are
challenging and painful. Show us how to
be a comforting, loving presence to those around us who need to experience Your
love and presence with skin on. Jesus
Christ, Immanuel—God with us—our HOPE, PEACE, and JOY—we praise You! Help us to truly experience joy during this
season of Advent and throughout the year.
In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
**Special
Note: Currently, I am planning to post
twice next week, unsure of the day at this point. There will be a post on Friday, as usual.**
Once again, I am linking up this week with Bonnie Gray at Faith Barista--Choose Joy.
Once again, I am linking up this week with Bonnie Gray at Faith Barista--Choose Joy.
From http://www.faithbarista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Joy_JamieBadge3_bold-300x300.jpg |
With Jesus, we can and do experience joy, hope and peace even in the most difficult of times. Emmanuel - God with us - unspeakable joy!
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings, Kim!
Martha, I'm so thankful we have Jesus! Without Jesus, I wouldn't be here, and I certainly wouldn't have this blog.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Thank you for sharing the JOY of Jesus with us during this wonderful Advent season. I love how the Lord is reaching out to us through us kind of in tandem at this time. We may have our particular Advent candles a little different, but the message is essentially the same! Jesus IS JOY!!!Go and tell the world!!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Pam. I love it, too, in how we may use different words but are still talking about the same thing. Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Thank you for your kind, comments!
DeleteBlessings!