But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
– Luke 2:10-11
Great joy? Is it almost too much to hope for? Where did all the Christmas joy go? How did things get so complicated? So rushed? So squeezed and cluttered? A nonstop buzz of Christmas lights and weary shoppers, boisterous television specials and pleading children. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can choose to step aside, step into a quieter moment, and read the angel’s words that came on the night that changed the world: “I bring you good news of great joy!”
It was just another night of work in the field for the shepherds, with a chill in the air and the soft bleating of their flocks. Another night of work, a night like thousands of nights before—even thousands of years before when the shepherd David was still a boy and stood watch in those same fields. Life hadn’t changed in a millennium. But on this night, everything changed. When the angel appeared, bathed in a glorious light, these shepherd men and boys who were used to fending off wild beasts to protect their sheep were suddenly filled with terror. Were they convinced by the simple words: “I bring you good news of great joy”? Probably not. Joy would have to come later. They would need to see proof.
That’s the way it works with joy. Real joy never originates from within; it must come from without. Searching for joy within you is like searching for the ocean within a droplet of water. Perhaps this is why so many of us have a difficult time finding joy at Christmas. Bite into a Christmas cookie and you might enjoy it. Open a shiny package and you might delight in what you find inside. But joy itself—true and pure—is so much more than enjoyment.
Joy is the startling realization that God has claimed territory in this world.
He has taken back what belongs to him. Every day we can remind ourselves of this revelation–reignite this joy again and again. Joy is a thirst that doesn’t want to be quenched; a hunger that knows it will go on and on. It’s a good thing to never get enough of God.This “great joy”—God come into the world—is great because it’s everywhere. A joy “that will be for all the people” is here. Now. Let us delight in this tremendous news today.
Prayer for today:
Dear God, turn my fear into great joy.
[From Christmas Joy – A Devotional]
Excellent! He is the joy to the world!
The apostle Paul repeatedly asserts that “Christ is IN you”. [The emphasis is mine]
Christ IN us is the inner source of our greatest joy
We all search for joy and it is just within our grasp. Thank you Mel for this gentle reminder!
So does this devotional mean that before Jesus was born God had no claim to this world? And only now has partial territory through Jesus birth?
No, it does not mean that.
Ok, ya, it always seemed to me that God would naturally have ultimate/automatic sovereignty over the whole world. I just did some more bible study on the topic, because it is still a little unclear why God allowed Satan to be the ” Prince of this world” as John 12 : 31 says.
God has allowed Satan some authority over non believers.
Now I realize it is a spiritual thing and God the true Father still has total sovereignty , and hasn’t lost any just because he gave some authority in this world to Satan, which really mostly adversely affects non believers.