What brings you joy? The laughter of your child? An embrace from your spouse? A call from a friend? But really, what is joy?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines joy as “intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness, or an instance of such feeling.” This is the world’s view of joy: temporal and situational. I might call that happiness.
Christianity.com takes a different viewpoint: “Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives.” Joy is a choice we can make whether times are bad or good. If you’re feeling a little down during the holidays, you still have a choice. Choose joy! Focus on the Joy that came to the World, the Lord is come!
Joy to the World, the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room…
Let every heart prepare him room…
Mary and Joseph began their journey to Bethlehem from Nazareth to register for the census decreed by Caesar Augustus. The trip would be a 90 mile walking journey taking approximately 10 days to traverse, given that Mary was greatly pregnant. As they arrived in the busy town they began to search for a place to stay, knowing Mary would soon give birth to the baby boy she carried. But there was no room available for them in the inn. There was no room available for them in the guest house. There was no room. The only place they managed to find to rest their travel weary bodies was in a stable, with lowing cattle, baaing sheep, and braying donkeys. This would be the birthplace of the Christ child.
Fast forward to now, the 21st century. Is there room for Jesus? We see technology advancing at the speed of light luring us to our cell phones, video games, and flying drones. Our jobs keep us so busy we barely have time to create space for our families. There are sports for our children for every season, including advanced levels with travel every weekend. Our churches are often filled with people stopping by for a Sunday morning obligatory appearance before rushing into Monday morning with no time or room for the One who came to earth from heaven to save us from our sins. Our lives are so filled with things of this world, is there any room for Jesus?
Jesus came into this world to save us from our sins, to give eternal life to all who will believe in him. Without him in our lives, all the hustle and bustle is fleeting, without eternal significance and leaves us empty. But WITH him, we can have a life full of purpose and meaning and a heart full of joy. Let earth receive her king!
Joy is not a fleeting moment in time and isn’t based on our circumstances. According to Biblestudytools.com, “Worldly possessions, accomplishments, even the people in our lives, are blessings that make us happy and fuel joyfulness. However, the Bible teaches us that the source of all joy is Jesus. God’s plan from the beginning, the Word made flesh to dwell among us, is rock solid, allowing us to navigate difficult situations without happiness while sustaining our joy.”
Joy came to the whole world when King Jesus was born in that stable and was laid in the manger! Let’s open our hearts to make room for Him this season, this year, this life. Let every heart prepare room for him.
No more let sin and sorrow reign…
Even though sin and sorrow may move in and try to steal our joy, those things don’t have to reign in our lives. “May the God of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom 15:13 ESV). Once sin entered the world we continued to embrace it like eating candy. It may seem good for a moment but in the end, it doesn’t satisfy. It doesn’t bring joy. With Jesus in our lives we can resist sin, and joy can supersede the sorrow we face. Certainly we will still feel sorrow for bad things that happen to us or around us, but Jesus has come! With Him there is an enduring joy and peace that remains steady in our hearts. So I say, as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!…The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.“
That sounds like joy to me.
He rules the world with Truth and Grace…
God’s word teaches us truth, that God loves us and has a purpose for us, that all have sinned and that the price for sin is death. But God offers forgiveness, mercy and grace through his son Jesus. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus” (Jn 1:17 NIV). Jesus didn’t come into the world to point his finger at us, look down on us, or call us names. He didn’t come to condemn us, but to save us. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (Jn 3:17 NIV).
Jesus came to pay the price for all sins for all sinners. No one is good enough. No one is without sin. No one is too far from God to be unreachable. We all need a saviour.
No matter what we’ve done or how far we are from God, no matter how long we have feigned religion without a real relationship with Jesus, He came for all. He came for those who have never believed, and for those who once believed but walked away.
He brought truth so that we could know Him and where we stand in relationship to Him; so we could know that we need Him. He brought grace so that we could enter into a relationship with Him and know the “Glories of His righteousness and Wonders of His Love, and Wonders of His Love”.
I sure hope we will all open our hearts and make room for Jesus. He brings joy for all. Let heaven and nature sing! Let the fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounds of joy! And let us sing Joy to the World, the Lord has come!
Worship and Sing Along: Joy to the World by Phil Wickham
Find Tracy on Facebook at Tracy Fields Todd, Writer, and on Instagram at @tracyftodd.
