December 7 ~ Isaiah 61:10
I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations.
(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.)
Many of you are not married, so you don’t know the joy of dressing in your bridal gown and veil - or the tuxedo or suit if you are a guy. You don’t know the excitement and nervousness that wells up inside as you anticipate the ceremony and the celebration. But many, if not all of you have gone to prom. You know how fun it is to get all decked out in a nice suit… or even a tuxedo or black tie and tails. Maybe you even wore a top hat and carried a cane. You girls know how much fun it was getting ready… picking out the gown, having your hair and nails done, finding all of the matching accessories.
And then… the DAY arrived. Everything about the preparation and the event itself was magical, and hopefully joy-filled. You may have been so happy and excited that you felt you might burst!
As wonderful as prom and wedding days are, they pale in comparison to the joy and celebration of walking with Jesus. They cannot hold a candle to God’s gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. The very thought of belonging to Him should make us want to burst with joy. NOTHING compares to Christ’s love for us. NOTHING can match the finery He is preparing for us. No prom outfit or wedding gown and tiara or tuxedo and cane can come anywhere close to the magnificence of Christ’s gifts for us and His promise of eternity with Him in heaven.
So if you are filled to bursting with joy at the thought of prom or a wedding, how much more joy do you have because of your walk with Jesus? Are you “exploding with joy deep in your soul?”
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 6 ~ Isaiah 58:13
"If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use my holy day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God's holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,' making money, running here and there— Then you'll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all. I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob." Yes! God says so!
(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.)
Recently, I watched an old episode of The Andy Griffith Show on TVLand. In this particular episode, a man was passing through Mayberry on a Sunday, and his car broke down. He needed help, and he stopped Sheriff Taylor outside the church and asked for help. Andy gladly agreed to help the man… on Monday! The man was furious. In turn, he talked to Gomer, Wally, and again to Andy, and nobody would budge. Andy and Barney enjoyed an afternoon singing on the front porch. They took a nap, peeled an apple, and went downtown for ice cream. They RESTED! In the end, the man realized that there was something of value in taking Sunday off and letting the world pass by… there was a JOY in those who worshipped in the morning and rested in the afternoon and evening.
Today, malls and shopping centers will do a brisk business on Sundays… and the Sunday afternoons leading up to Christmas Day will be days of really big sales for retailers. I’m not judging anyone who opens their retail store on Sunday… and quite honestly, I sometimes shop on Sundays. More often than not, I pull into Wal-Mart after church to pick up a few things, and I see many fellow church-goers there.
But I wonder how it would be if we went back to the “Mayberry days” of honoring the Sabbath and keeping it holy… a day of rest. Would it really be so bad to have to plan ahead a little and buy our groceries, gas, and Christmas presents the other six days of the week? Would we find more joy in Sunday if we let it be what God intended – a day of worshipping Him and resting in His blessings?
I challenge you to try it for one Sunday. Don’t shop. Don’t buy gas. Eat leftovers or a sandwich or cereal at home if you or your mom hasn’t cooked a meal the day before or popped something in the crock pot while you go to church. Or heat up a frozen pizza. After church, visit a friend, read a book (how about the Bible?!), take a nap or a long walk. Appreciate God’s creations and the freedom to truly enjoy them. See if the stillness of the day doesn’t give you more chances to truly enjoy it! Sunday truly is the day the Lord has made… find joy in it and be glad!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 5 ~ Isaiah 25:9
Also at that time, people will say, "Look at what's happened! This is our God! We waited for him and he showed up and saved us! This God, the one we waited for! Let's celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation. God's hand rests on this mountain!"
(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.)
When my nieces and nephews were born, we were ecstatic. We waited for each of them for nearly nine months. We counted the weeks. We watched their mothers as they grew bigger and bigger! We bought baby clothes and blankets and diapers. We attended showers. We prepared so much you could almost say we over-prepared! And then each baby arrived! We were so happy we were almost foolishly delirious! We held the babies and photographed them and cooed and cuddled and slapped each other on the back and kissed and hugged. The nurses went about their business, smiling politely at us, and probably secretly thinking to themselves we were acting like complete idiots over a tiny baby. Of course, they see hundreds of them each week, and while each is precious, it’s “old hat” to them. But not us...with each new baby, we are in it for all it’s worth… as if it’s the first birth ever!
People waited and anticipated the greatest birth ever with much eagerness, and when Jesus finally arrived, angels sang, shepherds stopped their work in the fields to hear the news, and kings traveled long distances to deliver gifts. But honestly, the greatest, most spectacular, most important birth in the history of the human race, is not given the acclaim and attention we give the births of our own children. The same level of joy somehow doesn’t seem to accompany the celebration of Christ’s birth, quite often.
My challenge to all of us this Christmas season is to celebrate the birth of Christ with pure joy. We don’t have to be foolishly delirious. There will be no baby photos to take or blankets and onesies to buy. But wouldn’t it be amazing if just once, in the midst of opening presents from others and sharing meals and Christmas music and decorations and lights and glitter, we high-fived the birth of Christ? Wouldn’t it be awesome if this Christmas we patted and hugged and kissed each other and shared joy and excitement at the thought of Christ’s birth? Where IS Jesus in your Christmas? Is HE the reason for your joy this holiday?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 4 ~ Ecclesiastes 5:18
After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now.
(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.)
A friend of mine learned this fall that she has scar tissue in her eye as a result of contracting histoplasmosis as a child. The scar tissue has grown to the point that it has taken her vision in this eye… she sees light and faint images, but for all practical purposes, she is blind in this eye. The doctors did a surgical procedure to try and remove the scar tissue and restore her vision, but they promised a 50/50 chance of success. So far, she has not regained her vision. I was talking with her lately, and she said, “You know, I’ve decided to do all I can with what I’ve got and not worry about it.” I was amazed an inspired by her attitude. She is doing all she can to live a normal life, despite losing vision in one eye almost overnight.
Every day, things happen to people to cause them to wish they were somewhere else or that things were different. Soldiers lose body parts and/or are disfigured in the war. People lose their job and have to take a lesser one that is boring and out of their field just to make ends meet. Students get a teacher who doesn’t know how to explain things well or tests on material he/she didn’t cover in class. Couples find out they are expecting a baby that wasn’t exactly “in the plans.” You find out you have cancer or diabetes, or you have a stroke that leaves you immobilized.
God never stops blessing and giving. God never takes a vacation. He never stops forgiving sinners, answering prayers, healing and restoring. When you get something unexpected, God helps you through it… He provides “the capacity to enjoy it.” I’m not saying you will enjoy cancer or losing a limb or struggling in a class or in life itself. But with God on your side, you can find joy in any and every circumstance of life, and that truly is His gift. So make the most of life today. Do all you can with what you’ve got, and let God take it from there.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 3 ~ Proverbs 15:30
A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart, and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.
(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 is a season for Santa Claus and all the trappings. Can you imagine a picture of Santa without the twinkle in his eye? It just wouldn’t be Santa Claus, would it?! Santa knows some good news (presents for “good” girls and boys), and that makes him feel very happy. This image of the jolly guy with the full flowing beard and the twinkle in his eye is ingrained in us from a very early age, and like it or not, he is part of the holiday season for most of us and fills us with joy.
I will be the first to admit that not every day is a “good” day, and I don’t feel like smiling all the time. Nobody does. But for the most part, I am usually a happy camper, and I would like to think that I usually have a twinkle in my eye. You see, I have received some very good news… and so have you! That good news is that Jesus loves us! He came to earth and died for our sins. He rose from the grave and ascended into heaven. And some day we, as believers, will live with Him for all eternity there! That is very, very GOOD NEWS!
So the challenge becomes… when less than “good days” come, will you remember the good news and carry on with a twinkle in your eye? Or will you give Satan a victory and slump your shoulders and stagger off somewhere to have a little pity party? Everybody has bad moments. Everybody has sad times. But the key to joy in the heart is to remember the good news of Jesus Christ, straighten your back and shoulders, raise your head and regain that twinkle in the eye. This Christmas, I hope that your joy is not centered in Santa Claus. I hope that your joy this Christmas is centered in Jesus Christ and His love for us. Now THAT is good news that will make you feel fit as a fiddle – and give you a real twinkle in the eye!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 2 ~ Nehemiah 8:10
He continued, "Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don't have anything: This day is holy to God. Don't feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!"
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.
For several years now, my husband and I have hosted people in our home during the holidays. Sometimes it is a full-blown “open house,” where we set out finger foods, coffee and soft drinks, and invite family, friends, and neighbors to “come and go” for an afternoon. Sometimes we invite just a few couples for an evening meal. Or we may invite just one person for a cup of coffee and a long visit. And we always make a point to include those who don’t have family nearby to share the holiday.
For many years, my husband’s mother brought a friend with her who was widowed and had no other family members living in this state. She said sharing our holiday was the highlight of her Christmas season. And that blessed me more than I can express to you.Hosting people and sharing meals is a lot of work. There is preparation, planning, and cleanup. But there is also joy. It’s not just the joy of seeing other people and sharing time with them. It’s also the blessing of seeing the joy in the faces of others – especially those who are lonely or in need.
So this holiday season, I challenge you to do something to share your own joy with at least ONE other person. If you want more joy, share with more people, but do reach out to others. God will bless you and make sure that you get at least as much joy as those whom you set out to bless!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 11 ~ Chronicles 16:23
Sing to God, everyone and everything! Get out his salvation news every day! Publish his glory among the godless nations, his wonders to all races and religions. And why? Because God is great—well worth praising! No god or goddess comes close in honor. All the popular gods are stuff and nonsense, but God made the cosmos! Splendor and majesty flow out of him, strength and joy fill his place.
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 cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed the full moons this fall. Where we live, you can clearly see the moon rise over the horizon, and it is impressive, to say the least! For several nights in October, we sat on our deck and watched the moon’s orange glow appear and then quickly develop into a full-out sphere of what looked like pure fire!
I may be “easily amused,” but it makes my heart leap to see this. I am astounded at God’s majesty, and the care He takes to make something as insignificant in the universe as our earth’s moon so spectacularly beautiful. How can you not praise Him? How can you not feel joy when you see His handiwork? It’s almost time for meteor showers, unexpected snowfalls, and the simple bareness of winter when we can see what’s “out there.” So get ready to be awed by God, and allow yourself feel the joy that comes with it!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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