The Lord is come! His first advent has passed & we take pause to remember and worship. We remember with gratefulness while we await with hope-filled expectation of the second advent of the King of Kings! Joy to the World… The Lord has come and He will come again.
JOY to the world … Joy to The hurting, The searching, The longing, The needy. Joy to The lonely, The waiting, The addicted, and to Those bruised by life and/or by their own choices. JOY.
JOY not because of external circumstances but because of Eternal Circumstances.
JOY because this world is not all there is to life. It is but a breath.
On good days we tend to forget that we have something and someone far worth the most priceless person or possession. So we easily choose joy because all is right within our world. But what about those bad days? Or those bad weeks? Or months? Or years? What then of JOY?
Sometimes choosing joy looks a lot like this picture:
Ever felt that way? Trying to hang on to JOY when life feels miserable & impossible?
I have. Jesus did. God understands.
“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2 (MSG)
JOY isn’t so much about what we feel as it is about WHO we choose. We may not be happy at the moment, but we can hang onto JOY in the midst of the tears. We can press in to Jesus, clinging to Him for dear life and as He miraculously gives comfort, guidance, and provision, He also gives us joy.
JOY to the world! Because Jesus humbled Himself and became a man, talking on the fleshy sins of the World, you & I can be saved from the eternally crushing blows of the evil one. JOY is salvation’s result. JOY is Jesus in the midst of our needs & pains. JOY is ours for the choosing. Ours for the clinging. Ours for the keeping if we determine to release ourselves, our loved ones, our hurts, our sorrows, and our plans to the Only One who can really affect them.
JOY to the world… The Lord has come. To you. To me. To be ours simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing. When all else fails, it is Jesus, His love, and His joy that will remain.
Joy to the world… Our Lord has come and will come back one day as Reigning King. Oh the wonders of His love….
Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
