Let There Be Joy! - Day 24
The Gift of Joy!
Christmas has given to all of mankind the possibility of experiencing heaven’s joy while living on earth. When Jesus came to earth - He paved the way for joy straight into your heart!
One of the most important aspects of Christmas for a believer is to respond to the joy of His presence. This is especially important if you are experiencing a circumstantial challenge or disappointment. Don’t expect the festivities to relieve the pain - only His presence has the power to do that for you!
Nearly 800 years before the birth of Jesus, the Prophet Isaiah described exactly what the Messiah would do when He came:
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore and our sorrows He carried.” (Isaiah 53:4)
Not only did Jesus come to take your sins to the cross, but He also came to relieve you of everything in life that has caused you to endure sorrow and to spend years of your life in deep grief. Jesus took those emotions, sorrow and grief, to the cross and died for them so that you could live in joy! God the Father knew that there would be things this side of heaven that would cause deep pain and deep grief in the hearts of His children. God, in His great mercy and loving kindness was unwilling to allow you to bear the brunt of devastating emotions and disappointment. And so, as the greatest Christmas gift of all time, He said, “Son, when You go to earth, not only will You take their sins to the cross, but You will also carry their sorrows and grief to the cross.”
Christ took our sins to the cross so that we would no longer have to carry them or be in bondage to them. Christ took our sins so that our futures would not be determined by the sin in our lives. He took your grief and your sorrow for the same purpose. Jesus carried your emotional pain to the cross of Calvary so that you would no longer have to carry that pain. He took your mourning from you so that you would no longer be held captive by it. He took your deepest emotional pain from you so that it no longer had the power to determine your future.
When Jesus came, the calendar page of history was turned and joy, in its fullest, was delivered to earth. Joy was given to you. When Jesus came from heaven’s glory, He came to declare to your world, “Let there be joy!”
Bible Reading: (click on the Bible verse to open in reader)
Let There Be Joy In Me:
What is the one event or circumstance that has brought emotional pain and grief to your life this year? Can you give it to Jesus? Pray this prayer:
“Jesus, I give to You my emotional pain and sadness. I give to You my grief and my sorrow. I relinquish it to You. It’s Yours forever … I never want it back again! And today, Jesus, I receive the joy of Your presence! Thank You that when You came to earth that You declared,” Let There Be Joy!”
H
ello, World!
