Bible Verse: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:17-24
Of course, one of the most notable parts of Christmas is the giving and receiving of gifts. For kids, it’s hard to beat this as a highlight of the season.
I remember being seven years old and really wanting a Mattel VertiBird Flying Rescue Helicopter. I wanted this really, really badly. I read the ads. I saw the commercials. This thing would make my life so complete (even if it came without batteries, like every ad said).
Christmas rolled around, and there was a gift under the tree for me. However, when I opened it, it was just the batteries; my parents said that the VertiBird was going to come a bit later. Well, it never showed up. So, instead of “batteries not included,” it was “VertiBird not included.” Disappointment equalled ten out of ten!
Gift-giving matches the wise men’s gifts for Jesus (Matthew 2:11). Even more so, it matches the Father’s gift: He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son (John 3:16).
But He also gave us joy. Jesus led the way by being a recipient of joy.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. (Hebrews 1:9)
At His baptism, the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove and remained on Him (John 1:32), and one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. Jesus was a recipient of joy. It was a gift. It was an anointing.
If we are filled with the Spirit, like Jesus was, we will also have joy. This is such good news. Joy is not something we have to fabricate or stir up; it comes from beyond ourselves. It is invested into us by the Holy Spirit.
If you open yourself up to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus, you will be filled with joy. You will be filled with all the exuberance, positivity, and strength that joy brings. God is eager to give you that joy; He doesn’t want you to live your life without it.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that You were a man filled with joy! Thank you that You want us to be filled with joy as well. I need that. There are enough reasons to be discouraged, down, and morose in this life. But there are even more reasons to be joyful. So, I open my heart to Your Spirit to fill me with all the joy You want. I am ready to be a man of joy, no matter my circumstances. Amen.
Reflection: Have you been filled with the Spirit? This is not some weird mumbo-jumbo; this is how Jesus lived the way He did. If you like Jesus, then you are going to love being filled with His Spirit! Invite Him to fill you right now, and then live in the joy that He brings.
Copyright © 2023 Impactus. All rights reserved.
About
