Thursday, December 19, 2024
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11
Joyful Expectation
God’s people waited in joyful expectation for their king, The Messiah, for years. It is hard to be joyful about something you have been promised is going to happen, but it is not happening. Yet they were joyful because of their faith in the promise of what God would do, not what He had already done in their presence. The birth of Jesus, our King, met the greatest need that you and I would ever have – the forgiveness of our sins. Any other earthly need we may encounter pales in comparison to what has been provided to us by our King, Jesus. He is everything we could ever need or want. He is sufficient in and for all things and the only true source of joy. So, if you think joy comes from what you possess, you will always be in want. If you think your joy comes from the circumstances you face, you will always be worried. In His forgiveness we find freedom, a freedom that truly brings joy because it frees us from the burden of the debt of sin. The burden of debt is heavy and the penalty we would have to pay without our King is death but, in His forgiveness, we find life everlasting. This Christmas focus on the gift of forgiveness that our King Jesus gave us. Find joy in His freedom from sin - the weight has been lifted!
We also can live in joyful expectation of the second coming of our King. We also can live in the joyful expectation of what He will do in our lives today, tomorrow, and for years to come. We can live in joyful freedom because of the sacrifice He made.
The prophet Habakkuk offered this wisdom, Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18
True joy in life does not come from what we have or encounter. It doesn’t come from lack of difficult circumstances, or full bank accounts. You can’t buy it or make it and you definitely cannot find it anywhere else. It comes from knowing the King – Jesus Christ. He came to set us free and to know true joy in Him. Celebrate this season by being intentional with how you live your life. Let it always be a reflection of Him that points others to Him, at Christmastime and always. Help others to wait with joyful expectation for the second coming of a King – the Messiah who is the giver of true mercy, grace, forgiveness, eternal life and joy like you have never known.
