What would it take to bring joy to the world? It seems like a mighty big request. But today, as we discover the answer, we find the link between Joy and Jesus.
I learned at an early age, the acronym of JOY is Jesus, Others, You. If I keep my priorities in this order, joy is sure to follow.
Sometimes, there is another little test I use to keep my joy in tact. I talk about it in my book, The Me Disease. By asking three simple questions, I can determine what I should and should not be doing by the level of my joy.
Page 54 reads, “Does it glorify God, does it bring others joy and does it bring me joy? If I cannot answer a resounding “YES” to all three questions, I might not need to be doing it.”
Why talk about all this joy? Because, advent is the time to not just think about joy but to prepare to receive that joy.
Last week, we found out, “Making room for God does not just happen. We have to make space and carve out time…. As we prepare to make room for Jesus, we may need to start moving some stuff around in order for Him to fit into our lives.”
Advent is our season of anticipation. We prepare to make room for Him. Christmas is all about the arrival of our great joy!
Joy to the World!
If you have ever given birth, you understand the excitement and joy that comes with waiting. As we reflect on the events that lead up to this glorious yet less than common birth, let us rediscover Jesus. Let us find our joy.
“ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.”
In Mary’s humble obedience to the Lord’s will for her life, she found her joy and helped deliver Jesus to the rest of the world. Joseph was not far behind her, as he too had to come into alignment with the will of God.
The Lord has come…
“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”
Joy to the World, the Lord has come!
Jesus is not only our Immanuel, “God with us.” Jesus is our Joy! Therefore, our joy is here! So, as we prepare to make room for Him, may we receive that joy into our lives. In this, our joy is complete.
Let us pray;
Dear Lord, thank you for not only being God to us, YOU are God in us. Thank you for coming to us as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Thank you for sending Joy to the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
P.S. Leave me a comment below and tell me your thoughts on Joy and Jesus. Forward this message to a friend and ask them to subscribe to this website. Share on Facebook and tag me in it. And meet me back here next week and we look at comfort and joy. -M
2 thoughts on “Advent: Joy to the World”
JOY – Jesus, Others, Yourself! True Joy!
🎶🎵Joy to the World🎵🎶…. I love the Jesus, Others, You!…. thank you for this devotion today.. ❤️🎄❤️