Sunday, December 9, 2018

Advent Words: J is for Joy


J is for Joy

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9

And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
    for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name."
Luke 1:46-49




"Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation." ~Rick Warren




In his first letter, Peter writes to those Christ followers who came after Christ walked on the earth. Peter knew that it would require greater faith for those who did not see Jesus first hand to believe in who He is. We are among those people.

Peter says they:
Love, 
Believe 
and rejoice
In Christ
And are
Filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy!

John Piper says of this verse in Peter that "our joy comes from loving and trusting Christ".

What is more amazing is who Peter was writing this letter to. He was writing to fellow Christians who were experiencing great trials. It is believed that this letter was written during the reign of Nero, who history tells us, greatly persecuted and executed those who claimed to be followers of Christ.

Yet Peter says they are "filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy". Of the Greek term used for "glorious joy", commentator Bob Utley says it was used to indicate "an intense joy usually accompanied with physical expression such as shouting, dancing, etc.". We see a picture of this type of joy expressed by Mary in Luke 1:46-49. Mary was a young girl who was engaged but not yet married when she was told by an angel of the Lord that she would become pregnant and give birth to a baby who would be "the Son of the Most High". (Luke 1:32) Living in a time when pregnancy outside of marriage could result in being shunned by your community, stoning, and even death, should have resulted in fear. But Mary had a deep and abiding faith in God. She responds with "glorious joy" and expresses it with singing.

“My soul glorifies the Lord
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
    for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name."
Luke 1:46-49

With love for Christ and faith in Christ we can have joy in all times despite our circumstances. We can join Mary in singing our praise to the Most High who is faithful, who is in control of all things, and who has given us the gift of salvation through His Son.

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!"



Today is the second Sunday of Advent. This week's theme is peace and we light the candle of Peace in our Advent wreaths.



Share your creative response to the Advent Words challenge in our private Facebook group  Join here:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wordschallengegroup/

If you belong to the Everyday Journal group that I co-lead with Valerie Sjodin and Bernice Hopper, Advent Words will be our theme for December.

Share on Instagram and other social media with the hashtag #adventwords2018.

Check out my Pinterest board for this challenge and see some of the wonderful and diverse creativity of Advent Words 2018 participants. https://www.pinterest.com/marynbtol/advent-words-2018-challenge/







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