Today we are looking at our second word (another gift from God) for the month of December – JOY!

We need to visit the night Jesus was born to find the mention of this word, and out into the fields where shepherds were caring for their sheep. It wasn’t their typical night of shepherding as the sky lit up and “the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone all around them. The angel said to them: ‘Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord'” Luke 2:9-11.

Why such joy? The long awaited Messiah had just been born!

Sure, the shepherds were afraid at the appearance of the angels; but after hearing the news, their fear turned to joy. They wasted no time to find the baby lying in a manger in Bethlehem just as the angels had proclaimed. They also wasted no time to share their joyful news with those they met as they left the birthplace of the Savior.

Of course, we weren’t recipients of this glorious message on that night, but we have God’s Word that brings us joy as we read it. Remember the little chorus, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength;” from our verse above? How true this is; even though we’re living in very trying times. Scripture says, “In the world you shall have tribulation: (but don’t stop there) BUT be of good cheer (be joyful!): I (Jesus) have overcome the world” John 16:33b. So when James writes in chapter 1, verse 2 “Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations,” we don’t have to LIKE what we’re going through, but we can still have joy because Jesus is always with us. He may not remove the hardship, but He will take us through it. He will never fail or forsake us. That’s the kind of Savior we have.

Satan would love to rob you of your joy (John 10:10). Don’t let Him. Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly” (with joy – my emphasis).

With all the blessings He daily loads us with, we can say, “There is joy in knowing Jesus!” All the time. OH, WHAT A GIFT!