Joy is a choice. Paul, while in a Roman prison and probably knowing that he would lose his life, wrote the letter to the Philippians. That is why it seems so incredulous that he states in Phil 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." Peter and John express the same sentiment, even after being beaten for sharing the good news of Jesus, in Acts 5:41, "So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name." There must be an anchor much deeper and stronger than the present circumstances in which the believer's life and joyful well-being depend upon.
We just celebrated the birth of Jesus. We sing the words, "glorious morning when Christ was born!" We not only celebrate His birth, but also enjoy forever the purpose of His coming. How can we describe an awesome and excellent God who cares so much about each of us? This message was declared by the angel "I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people." Jesus clearly demonstrated this through taking all men's sins to the cross and releasing everlasting life to all who call upon Him. He explains to His disciples in John 15 the purpose of His life and His work, "that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
Have you noticed that children look forward to Christmas often because of the gifts, but the adults, or the mature, can see beyond the gifts to the loved ones who give gifts as tokens of their desire to give of themselves to those who are dear. Certainly, in the midst of all God's gifts is the overriding truth that He has given Himself to us, and He desires to be our everlasting strength, joy, and life. His gift of Jesus clearly reveals not only what He has given to us, but more importantly, the person and Life He is.
Who are we and how can we respond to the fact that He has not only given Himself to us in coming as a child at Bethlehem, but also that this gift shows His heart which is willing to lay down His life for us in order to purchase our eternal joy with Him?
In the carol O Holy Night, there is a line "and the soul felt its worth." The fact that the infinite, glorious God would cheerfully lower Himself to be born a frail, helpless man in the most humble of circumstances, to a poor family in a dirty manager and and be known as from corrupt Nazareth (Can anything good come from Nazareth?), clearly reveals His total commitment to love us. Psalm 8 reminds us "what is man?" with the answer that God has crowned us with glory and honor. His coming and establishing us as His children with the authority and gift of ruling with Him forever is beyond our finite understanding, but the truth of His coming, His death and resurrection continue to manifest His eternal devotion to our value and place in His heart forever.
No matter what happens or how evil the world becomes, the eternal truth of who we are in God's eyes and the value demonstrated by His coming, death, and resurrection far surpass any earthly suffering. In short, all those who receive Him receive His love and nothing can separate us from the joy of reigning with Him forever. Let us rejoice.
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