JOY TO YOUR WORLD

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“Joy to the world, the LORD has come!”

We love that song at Christmas!

In fact we opened and closed with it at this year’s AHOP Christmas program; percussion cranking and with voices at full throat.

It is a song of such great promise!

For our LORD JESUS has COME and He did indeed bring JOY to this world; a world that often is far from joyful.

Yet often we get confused.

We listen to that song and think it says the LORD came to bring happiness. That is not the case. Jesus came so that we could have JOY! Joy unspeakable and unimaginable and JOY like that is a gift far greater than happiness. Trust me.You see, GOD sent Jesus to that manger so that he could LIVE among us, EXPERIENCE life as one of us, DIE as a sacrifice for all of us so that He (GOD, through the HOLY SPIRIT) could eventually LIVE in all of us filling us with HIS supernatural JOY!

That was one of HIS GIFTS FOR COMING; to offer JOY to the WORLD!

Galatians 5:22

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

You see when the LORD came; he brought ACCESS to His supernatural joy right along with Him. With his first breath before being wrapped in those swaddling clothes and placed in that manger he exhaled the promise of JOY!

He came so that we could experience a joy that could only come from HIM, a joy that wasn’t limited or hindered by circumstances or the influence of this world or its surroundings. He said so Himself...

John 15:11

…that my joy might be your joy…

And He knew that once He, the “LORD HAS COME”, into our hearts, joy would take up residence and never leave. In fact He knew it would become our strength for those times when happiness is nowhere to be found.

Nehemiah 8:10

…the joy of the Lord is your strength.

So you see when JESUS came, JOY truly did come TO THE WORLD; your world!

God created the perfect way for us to experience HIS joy - in relationship to Him through His Son and His Spirit!

Proverbs 10:28

The hope of those who are right with God is joy…

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope…

So sing that song with fervor and hope this season!

For JOY has not only come to THE world; but has come to YOUR world!

I love you all!

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney