December 14 ~ John 15:11
"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I don’t know about you, but I have no servants in my life. I have people who perform services for me… wait staff at restaurants, the woman who cuts my hair, the clerks in the stores… but they are not my servants. In many instances, they are my friends. I know them. I know about them. I know their family, where they go to church, what they like and dislike, and where they live. I care about them, and when I see them, it gives me joy.
I know of people who see these folks and others like them as “servants,” and I find that very sad. These people miss out on the joy of getting to know those people as people – of recognizing them as someone who has a job to do and who probably does it very well. They miss out on the joy of caring about another person who shares part of their life… if only to “serve” them in some way.
Jesus has called us to love one another. He didn’t say “Love some people… but keep some as servants.” No! He said make friends of ALL people you encounter and love them as He has loved us. I am so thankful that Jesus loves me and calls me His friend. I truly am His servant, but He doesn’t treat me that way. And that fills me with joy. I hope others can see my joy in Christ … can they see yours?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 13 ~ John 8:27
They still didn't get it, didn't realize that he was referring to the Father. So Jesus tried again. "When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am—that I'm not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught me. The One who sent me stays with me. He doesn't abandon me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Jesus came to earth knowing that He would one day be crucified – nailed to a cross and raised into the air to hang until He died. In order to please God, Jesus knew that He would have to see this through and die on that cross. He knew that, in pleasing God, He would be filled with joy.
I am so thankful that we don’t have to physically be nailed to a cross and hung in the air to pay for our sins. I am forever grateful to Jesus for doing this for me. I know that, hard as it seems to imagine, Jesus was filled with joy to do this for each of us and fulfill God’s plan for His life.
God has a plan for our lives, too. It doesn’t involve crucifixion, but it does involve following Him, doing what He teaches and asks, and walking with Him each day. In doing so, we please God and bring Him great joy. We also find our own joy… more than we can possibly imagine. So what will you do this day? Will you please your heavenly Father and find joy? Do you get it?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 12 ~ Luke 24:52
And they were on their knees, worshiping him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy. They spent all their time in the Temple praising God. Yes.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
On November 23, the Arkansas Razorbacks traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to play the LSU Tigers in a football game. The Razorbacks were not nationally ranked… LSU was ranked #1 in the nation. Three overtimes and several hours later, the Arkansas Razorbacks had beaten LSU, 50-48. Everyone in “Razorback Nation” was elated. Everyone in the bayou of Louisiana was crushed. It was so quiet outside Tiger Stadium you could almost hear a pin drop. Inside the stadium, as always, the football team sang the Arkansas fight song to their adoring fans, and for that moment, there was joy and mutual adoration between players and spectators. Not since 1981 had Arkansas beaten the number one team in the nation (Univ. of Texas… 42-11…I was THERE!) I can tell you from experience that the joy of that moment is incredible! It is a moment you remember forever… and a feeling you treasure.
How is it that we can feel such joy over a few hours of football, and yet we sometimes struggle to muster even half this much joy over Jesus? In this passage from Luke, the disciples have just seen Jesus ascend into heaven. Jesus has explained that everything has happened as prophesied, and that He is sending His Holy Spirit to live in their hearts and be with them always. This filled the disciples with tremendous joy. But you know what? The Holy Spirit is available to US, too! He can live in our hearts and be with us always. That news trumps winning a football game any day! It should fill us with joy beyond any we would feel after beating the national football champs – or any other big event in our life. This is an amazing, incredible, ETERNAL gift. The Holy Spirit is always with us. Sing the fight song! Wave a flag! Victory in Jesus is ours! Experience the joy!!!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 11 ~ Luke 18:15
People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. "Let these children alone. Don't get between them and me. These children are the kingdom's pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
One of the best gifts of the Christmas season is our church’s annual children’s Christmas program. To see nearly 50 children dressed as shepherds, angels, stable animals and the Holy family, singing their little hearts out for their family and friends just fills one with joy. You can’t help but smile, and quite often one little “angel” will pull some antic to make you chuckle, if not laugh out loud.
But underneath all of the costumes, the practices, the frazzled nerves of moms and dads, the props and scenery, and the laughter of a children’s program is a much bigger, more important point. These are God’s precious children, acting out the birth of Jesus in the simplest of productions that has a far more significant impact on each of us. Through the laughter and joy of a child, we learn about One Who came to earth as a Child so that He could live among us and die for our sins. When you think about it, having children tell His story is most appropriate, isn’t it?
For the rest of the Christmas season, when you see a child filled with joy, remember Jesus, Who came to us as a child. Remember all He has done for each of us, and be filled with your own joy. We make everything way too complicated. It’s really very simple… Christ came to earth to live among us and died on the cross for our sins. Our job is simply to invite Him into our hearts and serve Him the rest of our lives. “Joy to the World! The Lord has come! Let earth receive her King!”
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 10 ~ Luke 15:4
"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
This passage reminds me of that line in the Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” where they say, “Teacher says that every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings!” We don’t think much about the joy in heaven, do we? That seems light years away for most of us. And I guess most of us figure that those in heaven are busy doing “heavenly” things and don’t concern themselves with what is happening on earth. But the Bible tells us that heaven rejoices over even one rescued sinner.
Imagine it! When you gave your life to Christ, heaven rejoiced! Maybe a bell didn’t ring, and maybe you didn’t get any wings, but you can be assured, the angels in heaven sang with joy! Now doesn’t that give YOU joy to know you were sung about by angels? Doesn’t it give you joy to know how special you are to God and others? Celebrate with me and be joyful… we have made heaven sing!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 9 ~ Luke 6:17
Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! Then he spoke: You're blessed when you've lost it all. God's kingdom is there for the finding. You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry. Then you're ready for the Messianic meal. You're blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes with the morning.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
What is this? “ You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all.” How can this be?! Read the next sentence again… “God’s kingdom is there for the finding.” When my brother died, I was just beginning to truly receive the Holy Spirit into my life. God was becoming more real than ever to me, and He helped me through some very dark days. He understood my grief and loneliness… my stress at juggling a business, my home and family, my brother’s death, and my father’s serious illness.
By the time my father died a year later, I was so deeply attuned to the presence of the Holy Spirit that I was honestly able to look at my situation with a sense of joy. It’s not that I didn’t grieve. It’s not that the death of my dad didn’t leave a huge hole in my heart – it did - and that hole is still there in many ways. It’s not that I wanted him to die, or that I was happy about the fact that he did.
My joy came from seeing God at work in the situation – and in the people involved in it. My joy came from seeing how our family and friends rallied to comfort and care for us over a period of several months… even a year or more. My joy was in discovering Hospice and the loving, caring people who worked there. My joy was in imagining my dad and brother in Heaven – pain free, whole, able-bodied and doing the things they loved, like fishing, cooking, and visiting with others. My joy was in knowing that God was still with me, and that He will NEVER leave me. My joy was in knowing that I can honor my dad and brother and other loved ones by sharing joy and God’s love with others.
Life is not filled with 100% joy. You ARE blessed when tears flow freely, and believe me, I’ve shed my share! But you are also blessed when “joy comes with the morning” and I can tell you, the joy does come – IF – you open your heart to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in your life. I don’t know what you are going through today, but I know God is going through it with you… and that gives me joy and peace. Do YOU feel it?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 8 ~ Luke 1:13
But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you - many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
What are you going through today? Is this finals week? Do you have a test that is staring you in the face and causing you stress? Are you facing health issues and doctor visits and treatments? Are you in financial trouble or short on cash? Have you lost a loved one and you feel alone and vulnerable? Do you feel Spiritually empty?
No matter what your day has brought you, God has a word for you in this passage… “Don’t fear. Your prayer has been heard. You are going to leap like a gazelle for joy.” God’s promise of joy was not just for Zachariah and Elizabeth. God’s promise of joy is for anyone who will call on Him and ask. God will fill you with joy beyond your comprehension – but you have to give your heart to Him and trust Him in every situation. So get busy trusting and calling on Him… “don’t fear. Your prayer has been heard. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy.”
©2007 Debbie Robus
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