Explosive Joy

We’ve just celebrated a season of joy – Great Joy! From the giving of thanks – to the birth of our Lord and Savior – to the start of a new year – it’s been a season of friends and festivities, of gatherings and remembrances. And now we’re moving into 2024 with renewed hope, energy, and excitement… or are we?

Last year I was gifted a wonderful devotional book called He Walks With Me, written by Carol Kent, which I used throughout 2023. Near the end of December I read the phrase “Exploding Joy,” and it got me thinking…

What if instead of explosive rage, the more common response would be explosive joy?
Think of it … joy bursting forth – music – celebrations – attractive, magnetic joy that draws people in rather than pushing them away.
Joy that embraces others.

So much joy that it cannot be contained, but bubbles over and splashes on everyone and everything.

Joy that comes from deep within –
Unshakeable
Undeniable
Unexplainable
Supernatural
JOY.

Joy that leads to blessing others with kindness and appreciation.
Joy that calms the anxious heart, quiets criticism, and repels bitterness.
Effusive joy can change the atmosphere of a room, attitude of a heart, actions of a group.

The Bible speaks of Abundant, Increased joy (Isaiah 9:3),
Inexpressible, Glorious, Unspeakable joy (1 Peter 1:8,9),
Full, Complete joy (1 John 1:4, 2 John 1:12, John 15:11; John16:24),
Strength-giving joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10).
This is the kind of joy that kept Peter preaching when threatened (Acts 4), and Paul rejoicing in prison (Philippians).

This year I want my life to be characterized by the joy of the Lord, joy that strengthens me, fills me up, spills over, and splashes on those around me.
I want a heart that rejoices in the love and goodness of God,
to sing with abandon,
to worship with sincerity,
to delight in being in the presence of God,
and to bring joy to the hearts of others.

I want that for you, too.
May you have a year touched by the love and joy of God Almighty.

Happy New Year!
Ruth

Waiting for the Messiah

For generations people waited,
longing,
expecting,
anticipating the promised Messiah,
But when He came, most did not accept Him.

“He came unto His own and His own received Him not.” John 1:11

People had their own ideas about what He would be like and what He should do.
So, when He came
from humble circumstances,
born to a young Jewish woman,
in a stable, no less!
and grew up associating with commoners, fishermen and the like,
eating with tax collectors and ‘sinners’…
well, that just wouldn’t do!

He performed miracles on the sacred day of Sabbath!
No real Messiah would possibly live like that!

And his teaching…
Submission to the authority of Rome?
Paying taxes to the foreign occupiers?
Not taking revenge?
Treating enemies with kindness?
No, no, no, and no!!

Riding into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey.
Where was the conqueror on the majestic stallion?

The final straw came when He did not resist arrest and forbade His followers to do so.
He was taken, tried, and crucified,
and that was that!

But was it?

One of His followers summed up their expectations this way, “We had hoped…” Luke 24:21.
Their hope was based on human understanding.
But human understanding is flawed.

Today many still base their hope on human understanding… flawed understanding… a hope based on personal reasoning or the words and teachings of others.
But that is false hope.
Real hope is based only on the true words of God Himself!

The hymnwriter, Edward Mote, put it this way in 1834:
“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

Looking around at the world today, we see chaos and confusion, despair, and discouragement.
As Christmas bells peal out the message of Christ’s birth, perplexed hearts find little reason to rejoice. But, once again, that is due to a misunderstanding of the meaning of that special birth.

The birth was only the beginning. God, becoming like us in every way, yet without sin so that He could take on Himself the punishment we deserve for our sins.

One of my favorite Christmas tree decorations has the words “Born for us” above a picture depicting the baby in the manger. On the other side of the ornament are the words “Borne for us” above a picture of the cross where Jesus, God’s Son, died taking the punishment for our sins! That tells the story – the reason He came, the reason we celebrate His birth. He came for us so that we could be reconciled to God.
And that …
THAT is a reason for Joy! We have hope!

This song, written by Norman J. Clayton in 1945, comes to mind:
“My hope is in the Lord who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.

For me He died, for me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.

And now for me He stands before the Father’s throne;
He shows His wounded hands and names me as His own.

His grace has planned it all, ‘Tis mine but to believe
And recognize His work of love and Christ receive.”

May your heart overflow with Joy and rejoicing as you celebrate THE ONE who came for you!!

Merry Christmas,
Ruth