Have a Joy Full Christmas

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel has come to thee . . .
During the holidays we read and hear words like "joyful" and "rejoice" on cards and in carols. These words have been replaying in my mind over the last few days, but in different forms. Instead of “joyful,” I’ve been meditating on "joy full" – as in being full of joy. When I hear or read “rejoice,” I think "re - joy" – as in having joy again.

Tidings of comfort and joy . . .
Before receiving the baby Jesus in her womb, Mary responded to Gabriel, "My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior." [Luke 1:47]

Joyful, all ye nations rise . . .
When the wise men from the East saw the star directing them to Jesus, they “rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” [Matthew 2:10]

Joy to the world, the Lord is come . . .
Jesus said in John 15:11, "these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." The joy of Jesus is the joy that remains for us today.

The weary world rejoices . . .
God is with us, our Emmanuel. “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” [Psalms 28:7]

Joyful and triumphant . . .
Have you ever wondered, “What gives Jesus joy?” Scripture shares in Luke 10:21 that Jesus was joyful when His disciples returned from going out in the land ministering in the power and authority of His name.

As we shop, wrap, bake and commemorate the birth of Jesus this Christmas season, I write these things unto you that your joy may be full . . . full of the abiding joy of Jesus. And may we give joy in return to the Lord by ministering to those around us -- reaching out in His name with a helping hand, an encouraging word, an impacting prayer.

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Good Christian men rejoice . . .
Holidays magnify emotions – positive and negative. If you or someone you know is struggling to find joy, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about the Lord. Before Mary rejoiced, she said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord.” Sure, easy for her to say, right? She just had an angelic visitor and the best news ever. But with Mary’s acceptance of the Christ child in her womb, she faced the hardship, rejection and ridicule of becoming an unwed mother in her day. It was a mixed blessing, we might say, yet she chose to be joyful.

When we magnify the Lord, looking to God’s Word, His character, His faithfulness, His provision, His power, His friendship, His sacrifice, His great love . . . I believe we will find the joy of the Lord. God is our strength and shield. Our hearts safely trust in Him and we are helped; therefore, we can greatly rejoice.

If you had joy once, you can “re-joy” again. If you just have a little joy tucked away in the corner of your soul, I pray that your joy may be full as you magnify the Lord with me. He is great! He is mighty! He’s an awesome God! He’s worthy of our praise and He is our exceeding great reward!

Have a joy-full Christmas!

Fireflies, Glow Worms and Smudged Jelly Jars

Ruminating. That's what I've been doing all day. Thinking about the concept "Message in a Bottle."

The theme for this new project, We . . . are like fragile . . . jars . . . containing . . . great treasure [2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT], is preceded in Scripture with these words from verse 6 identifying the treasure:

For God . . . made His light shine in our hearts . . .

The treasure is God in us!

Did you ever spend a summer evening catching fireflies? Years ago my sisters and I crept around the yard scooping up what we called "lightning bugs." After each hunt, we sat on the porch steps entertained by the activity in our homemade lanterns.

We were looking at the jars, but our focus was not on the glass in our hands. No, our eyes were fixed on the contents. We watched the bugs ~ crawling, flickering, fluttering ~ mesmerized by the light show they created in the dark Kentucky nights.

I want God's light to shine through me just like the fireflies flashing behind the glass in those old jelly jars. The Light's in my heart. Verse 6 said so!

A dear Christian lady reminded me this morning that what we begin in the Spirit, we cannot finish in the flesh, and I wholeheartedly agree. I've come to understand that I will never be all I can be spiritually until I fully accept my humanity: my strengths and my shortcomings, my gifts and my guffaws, my talents and my torments.

I will fail. I will disappoint others. I will disappoint myself more than anyone else. But I have a great hope! Smudged and marred, maybe even cracked or chipped, my "vessel" still carries a pure message ~ the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. When I notice my "container" needs some maintenance, I pray I will have the humility and strength to turn to God for cleansing and repairs. The world around me will see more of God in me when I submit to His restorative work in my life.

Thank God for the words of verse 1 of this same chapter [2 Corinthians 4] that give me the confidence I need, regardless of my limitations, to pursue my dreams for Affirming Faith: Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

I could easily get discouraged if I focused on my failures. Why would anyone listen to me? Why would God want to use me?

And on days when the adrenalin is running high and my snowball is successfully rolling downhill gaining size and momentum, it would be just as easy to tilt in the opposite direction. Crediting my own hard work and abilities instead of acknowledging God's grace and goodness would be a big mistake. Finding the right balance between "I can do all things through Christ" [Philippians 4:13] and "apart from me you can do nothing" [John 15:5] is key.

Looking through the pages of the old church song books, we find many hymnwriters refer to human beings as "worms." That's not a popular concept in our "it's all about me" society.

Mankind is the highest life form, loaded with potential and value and created in the very image of God, but in comparison to the Lord, the worm metaphor is a fair appraisal of the human condition. I know I've experienced days when I felt lower than Walt's nightcrawlers, but I recently heard a speaker say, "We're all worms. Be a GLOW WORM!"

And as my Daddy used to sing in mellow baritone accompanied by finger picking on his acoustic guitar, "Glow, little glow worm . . . glimmer, glimmer!"