Joy

Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn--shout for joy before the LORD, the King. Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity (Psalm 98).

The Christmas season is supposed to be a time of joy--smiling faces, happy songs, unstinting generosity and good will towards all. But take a careful look at the people you see around you every day--how many of them are filled with joy? How many are stressed by a calendar full of things to do? How many are frustrated by long shopping lists and long lines? How many are depressed at the thought of being separated from loved ones during the holidays? How many are worried about ever-increasing bills and not enough money to pay them? During this season of joy, many people seem to be anything but joyful.

Sometimes we need a reminder to be joyful. Psalm 98 is one such reminder. In this Psalm we are reminded that regardless of what is going on in our lives, we have been given something so wonderful that rejoicing is our only sensible response. God has done something marvelous; His Right Hand and His Holy Arm have worked salvation for us. He has made His salvation known to us and revealed His righteousness to the nations. He has remembered His love and faithfulness to His people, and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

We desperately need to hear this Good News. Our lives are awash in sin--our own sins and the sins of everyone around us. We make ourselves miserable with our bad habits, our desire for dangerous thrills, and our inability to keep a tight rein on our temper. We are made miserable by people who lie to us, who break their promises, who use us to make themselves feel good. Sin destroys our relationships and fills us with self-loathing.

Even worse, our sin had separated us from God. Sin had erected a wall between us and our Creator, a barrier that hid God from us and left us shivering in the dark, helpless prey to the forces of darkness. We were in deadly danger, and we had no way to protect ourselves.

But God remembered His love for us and He sent us a Savior, His personal representative. This rescuer was the Son of God Himself, born miraculously from the womb of a virgin. God's Son came to make His home among us, that He might tear down the barrier of sin that separated us from His heavenly Father. He would do this by dying for our sins, having assumed responsibility for our every evil thought, word and deed. Because He died, we have been spared the eternal, hellish consequences of our sin. And to top things off, Jesus rose from the grave alive once more, alive to open the gates of heaven and lead us to the Father's forgiving arms.

This offer of salvation is for all people. Jews were summoned to the Christ-child by an angelic choir; Gentiles were invited to follow a miraculous star to the Savior's bedside. God revealed His righteousness and salvation to all nations, and He continues to do so today--every December, believers and unbelievers alike are publicly invited to kneel at the manger and welcome the Babe of Bethlehem into their lives.

Jesus is our release from sin and our promise of life beyond the grave. Jesus is our light in darkness, our protection from evil, our offer of hope when things look their bleakest. No wonder the Psalmist says, Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music. Jesus is the holiday gift that will always give you joy; Jesus is the source of happiness that cannot be spoiled by sin.

Psalm 98 tells us to live a life of rejoicing. What does such a life look like? Well first of all, a joy-filled life is a life of freedom. We are freed from worry and complaining. Worry and complaining happen when we think we need something that we don’t have. But when Jesus reconnects us to God, we realize that our Father will give us everything that we need; we have no reason to worry or complain. In Philippians chapter four Paul writes: I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. And in Matthew chapter six Jesus tells us: do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the unbelievers pursue all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

A joy-filled life is a life that is free from competition. In Mark chapter three, Jesus speaks of how we are all one family through Him: A crowd was sitting around [Jesus], and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." When we are rescued by the Savior, we are brought together into one family as fellow children of God. This being the case, there is no reason to be envious of each other, to gossip about each other, or to feel superior to anyone else. We are all the same, sinners who have been given new life by the precious blood of Christ, shed on the cross. Each of us can be joyful because we are special, but we are only special because Jesus has made us so.

A joy-filled life is a life of forgiveness. Jesus taught us to pray forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. We have been given an incredible gift—release from responsibility for the mistakes of our past. The joy that we experience from this freeing gift is a joy that begs to be shared. There is no joy in holding a grudge, but there is much joy to be gained by extending Christ’s forgiveness to others.

A joy-filled life is a life of service. Jesus dedicated His life to take care of our needs; as His followers, He looks for the sense of service in us. In John chapter 13 He gave the following instruction: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Our Lord did not mean that we should just feel warm and fuzzy towards each other. His love for us resulted in a sacrificial death on a cross to free us from eternal condemnation; His love resulted in the ultimate act of service on our behalf. To love is to serve—this is how Jesus wants us to show His love to each other. And such service brings joy to our lives.

Most importantly, a joy-filled life is a life of faith and trust. Without faith in God, it is impossible to be confident of anything. But when you trust in God’s promise to take care of you, you can live life with confidence because the Lord prompted Paul to write: we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). We can have the same inner peace as the writer of Hebrews who said (in chapter 13), "The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" When we trust that God is in charge, we can be freed from worrying to live life with joy.

Now you might be thinking, "that’s all fine and well, but how can I change my life to experience such joy?" It’s important to remember that such joy only comes as a gift of Christ; the closer you are to your Lord, the more joy you will find from His being in your life. So if you want to experience true joy, commit yourself to spending more time with Jesus. Commit yourself to worshipping Him every week. Commit yourself to reading a devotion every day. Make time with Christ your first priority. Also make a point to involve Jesus in your daily life. Commit yourself to praying every day. Ask for His leadership before making decisions; read His word regularly so that you better know how He thinks and how He wants you to think. Let Jesus take the lead as you live life. When you are ‘in tune’ with Jesus, joy will be the result.

To experience greater joy, you can ask Jesus to help you focus on the positive. In Philippians chapter four Paul gives this excellent advice: Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. In Deuteronomy chapter eleven we are told, commit yourselves completely to these words of mine…Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. In his explanation of the 8th Commandment, Martin Luther wrote: "explain everything in the kindest way." Don’t focus on the negative. Don’t assume the worst. Look for the best possible interpretation of events. Looking for God’s hand in every situation will help you resist the temptation to be pessimistic.

Finally, develop a habit of gratitude. Take time every day to thank God for the gifts of life, food, and shelter. Take time every day to thank God for the good things you have and the opportunities He gives you to show love to others. Take time every day to give Jesus thanks for coming among us 2,000 years ago at Bethlehem, for going to the cross for us, and for ending sin’s domination over us. Develop an ‘attitude of gratitude’, which will help you to resist the temptation to grumble and complain.

This is the prescription for a life filled with joy—treasure God’s gift of His Son, keep your attention on God’s generous care for you, and make thankfulness your daily habit. Let Jesus fill your life and direct it, and you can experience the true joy of Christmas.