Daily Devotional For Wednesday, December 11, 2024

The Christmas word for today is JOY. I know, it seems like every word for Christmas has some kind of joy in it. We just can’t help it! The shepherds rejoiced, the wise men rejoiced, the angels and Mary and Joseph rejoiced. Even the donkeys were probably filled with joy. Christmas is a joy-to-the world time of year! Personally, joy is one of my favorite Christmas words. You can drive around town and see that some families  have made a large “Joy to the World” sign a central part of their outdoor Christmas decorations. “To the world” — that means everyone everywhere! Is that really possible?

Not if you’re looking to your circumstances to find joy. If you’re waiting for perfect circumstances, you’re going to wait a long time. And when they come, the “joy” will last about a minute. If joy is going to work, it has to work in an imperfect, ugly world. That’s what Christmas is all about — the fact that God is able to bring joy to that kind of world; to the world we live in.

You can easily choose to be a depressed person. There’s plenty to be depressed about. The same thing goes for being an angry, bitter, or cynical person. Christmas means you can choose to be a joyful person — that there is plenty to be joyful about! Joy is a choice — it’s NOT automatic! Even becoming a believer and coming to church does not automatically make you joyful.  Today, we want to take just a moment to focus on how you can experience that joy.

Look at 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Always be joyful (NLT). How is that possible? That first Christmas, three truths from three different sources tell us how to find joy. 

1. First, joy is here. Sometimes we feel like we’re looking for some map that gives us directions from where we are to a place of joy. The truth is, if you can’t find joy where you are, you’re never going to find it. Look at the shepherds that first Christmas in Luke 2:8-9, “ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them (NLT). Life was normal — business as usual — and that's where they began to experience joy. You don't have to go on a vacation to find joy — or leave your job or your family. God wants to bring joy into the midst of the routine or difficult circumstances you are facing right now. 
2. The second truth is joy is a journey. In Matthew 2:10, When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with great joy. But we know they traveled a long way before they came to Bethlehem and were filled with joy. It was a process. It took time. It wasn’t an instant, push-button solution. The Bible is clear: that is how joy happens for all of us. People looking for instant joy usually end up looking in all the wrong places — some new kick, new drug, new thrill, new relationship. 
3. Mary teaches us a third truth about joy that first Christmas: joy is a difficult choice. In Luke 1, Mary says, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:46-48 NLT). But that’s not where she started! Earlier in the chapter, we read this in Luke 1:29-30, “Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. (30) “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!” (Luke 1:29-30, NLT). She was confused, disturbed, and afraid. You would be too! She was a teenage girl (who had never been with a man) being told she was going to have a baby. She had to make a difficult choice to move from that place of confusion to a place of joy. She had to choose to trust God. The thing that brings you joy often scares you at first because it involves the difficult choice of trusting God instead of trusting yourself.

Here is the truth to remember: joy is found on the other side of the difficult choice to trust God instead of trusting yourself.Consider this article that was posted on a website about what and where the rich and famous choose to have their babies born:

“When the rich and famous give birth, their hospital stay can easily be compared to a pampering spa getaway. However, celebrities and royals are not the only ones seeking deluxe accommodation and medical services. Anyone with the right amount of cash can choose a posh place to deliver in style in A-list maternity suites.

Jay Z and Beyoncé chose Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan for the birth of Blue Ivy, their little bundle of joy. At $2,500 a day Lenox Hill Hospital offers luxurious suites with mahogany walls, hardwood floors, luxurious linens, its own kitchenette, and even a concierge that can arrange anything from a stylish hairdo to manicure, pedicure, and massage. You do want to look your best when delivering your precious little baby, right?

The luxury suites of Mount Sinai Hospital ($4,000 a day) offer a stunning view of Central Park and Manhattan. However, that's not the only reason Gwyneth Paltrow and P. Diddy chose Mount Sinai for the birth of their children. Think blankets made from Muslin cotton and massage therapy to relieve the pain and stress. Add bathrooms with Italian glass tiles and tea and cookies served in the afternoons.

At the top of the hospital birthing experience list is the Matilda Hospital in Hong Kong. It is the ultimate in pampering. It offers rooms with balconies overlooking the ocean, refrigerators filled with juices and bottled water, cable TV, and WiFi. The doctor in charge of the delivery is also your personal gynecologist/obstetrician, and will be the one booking your stay and making all the necessary arrangements. It is advisable to ask your doctor to make reservations as early as possible, as most rooms are fully booked 7 months in advance. At the Matilda Hospital you need to deposit $20,000 in down payment just to book a room” (Source: Octavia Drughi, "The 10 Most Expensive Hospitals to Give Birth," TheRichest.Com (4-1-14).

What a contrast between how Jesus was born to two “dirt-poor” teenagers in a stable, not the Bethlehem Hilton & Suites Luxury Hotel and Spas. Could it be possible that one of the reasons we miss out on the joy of this season is that we follow the crowd and turn this season into trying to cram so much into these few weeks right after Thanksgiving? We decorate our houses inside and out to the extent that they can be seen from outer space by satellite? We go to more Christmas parties than we can count. We spend money we do not have to buy gifts for people who already have way too much. 

We don’t feel like singing, “Joy To The World.” Instead, we want to sing either “Dust In the Wind” by Kansas or “Tears In Heaven” by Eric Clapton. We take a holiday about humility and we turn into a holiday about hubris. We take a holiday about joy and we turn it into a holiday where we feel jaded when it ends. Joy is not something we can manufacture with lights, garland, trees, gifts and wreaths and food. We can experience some temporary happiness through these, but joy can only be produced by the Holy Spirit to the genuinely redeemed. Look at Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (NLT). If your joy is gone or going, maybe you should reconsider turning to the Holy Spirit, not the spirit of Christmas instead this year.

Questions To Consider

1. When you compare how the rich and famous can have their babies versus how Mary and Joseph had their baby, what spiritual truths can you glean from this comparison and why?
2. When it comes to Christmas, what tends to steal your joy? What does that tell you?
3. If joy can only be produced by the Holy Spirit in genuinely redeemed people, why do you think so many “Christians” report not experiencing joy during this season?
4. If you have children or grandchildren with you, go around and share what brings you joy during the season of Christmas?
5. For the magi, joy was both a journey and a process. Why? What does this tell you about joy in your own life?

Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 16:11. “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your Presence and the pleasures of living with You forever” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Father, You know that I want to have joy. But so often I try to get it my way. I try to manipulate my circumstances and organize my relationships to get myself to a place of joy. Thank You for reminding me that joy is all about trusting You. Thank You for reminding me that my circumstances or relationships don’t have to be perfect to experience the joy You want to give. I choose to trust You right now. I love You Jesus. Thank You that the joy of the Lord is my strength. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly