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Advent devotional
Dec 1-7
Joy
Joy is something we all long for. Who doesn’t want to be filled with joy? Sometimes joy can be a little confusing though. We can easily confuse joy with happiness. Joy and happiness have many overlaps, and joy often produces happiness. Unlike joy, happiness is fleeting and ever changing. The pursuit of happiness is everywhere in our world. We see it as people are ending marriages, getting into debt up to their eyeballs, changing professions, changing schools, moving to other cities, countries etc. Why? It isn’t always the case, but many times at the end of the day, it’s because they believe they can be happier in a different situation. Let’s be clear: happiness isn’t a bad thing, but where that happiness comes from is important. I was reading an article about this and thought this description from a psychologist was helpful.
“Joy and happiness are wonderful feelings to experience, but are very different. Joy is more consistent and is cultivated internally. It comes when you make peace with who you are, why you are and how you are, whereas happiness tends to be externally triggered and is based on other people, things, places, thoughts and events.”
This is a very helpful differentiation. However, it presents a challenge. If joy is cultivated internally, then I become responsible to conjure up joy, and I become the source of joy. The problem is I am not the source of joy. God is. God who eternally existed in three persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the originators and the true source of joy.
So often we do not view God as one who is filled with Joy. We are more prone to view God as one who is disapproving of my life choices and completely upset with humanity. It’s not that God delights over our mistakes and sin by any means, but it is important that we keep a fuller picture of who God is.
God did not create this world begrudgingly or in sorrow. He created it out of an abundance of love and gladness or joy, and it was good. One of the attributes of our God is that he is full of joy. When he created humans, it was very good. Joy was flourishing as humanity and God walked in the garden together. It’s important that we see that in the beginning that joy was part of what was good! And also something that would need rendering once sin entered the world.
Even Creation enters into the joy of its creator. Listen to how the psalmist speaks.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas;
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
– Psalm 65:5-8
I love that the sunrise and sunset are shouts of joy in worship of God.
Ultimately we get our best picture of joy from shocker… Jesus himself.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
– John 15:11
But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
– John 17:13
Jesus wants us to have his joy—the same joy that he shares with the Father.
Ok great, Jesus wants us to have joy. He has it. Now where does that joy come from?
It comes from being in right relationship with God. From knowing Him. Joy is being filled with gladness in knowing who we are in Jesus. That we are redeemed, sanctified and eventually glorified through the life, shed blood and resurrection of Jesus. That doesn’t change depending on our circumstances, it rests in the finished work of Jesus.
All of those things that the psychologist shared about joy are true. In order to find joy, we have to come to peace with who we are and why we are. Jesus is the only one who can bring us to that place. Jesus is the one who makes peace now possible with God. And because of that we can have true joy!
Joy only truly becomes available because Jesus took upon flesh and entered humanity. You want to know one of the things that kind of blows my mind? You and I are part of his joy.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
– Hebrews 12:1-2
You and I, and all of humanity are a part of God’s joy. Since creation, part of God’s joy involves you being in relationship with him, and through Jesus he’s now made that possible. He takes joy in you, and it’s in him and him alone that we truly begin to find a never ending, always increasing joy.
This advent season, as we remember and await the coming of the King, would the Lord continue to remind you of the amazing joy that we now get to experience through the promised one Jesus!
Prayer
Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
– Psalm 51:12
Questions and Practices to consider this week:
As you go about your week pay attention to where you tend to turn to for joy. Is it God, his word, facebook, news, that new fandangled Disney app, the gym? What stands out to you?
Practice - Often times we find ourselves turning to something other than Jesus to find and fuel joy. Whatever that thing may be would you try and pause before you go to that thing and remind yourself/your soul with a simple prayer “Father I know that you are the source of all joy, before I engage with anything else I want to connect and be with you.”
Here are a few songs for you to listen to throughout your week focusing in on Joy!
Rend Collective - Joy of the Lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVIhb-c_4Tw
Joy to the world
Joy to the world
Joy to the world
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
Joy to the world
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
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let the earth receive her king
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let the angel voices ring
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let men their songs employ
Joy to the world, now we sing
Repeat the sounding joy
Oh oh
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The light of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let the earth receive her king
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let the angel voices ring