Gifts of Christmas: Gift No. 16 ~ Joy
My gift to you is: Joy
From Luke 1:14 - “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
Hello my bride! Come forth and let us live this day together in joy. I have a joy for you. It is boundless and eternal. It never stops flowing. But, my child, you must receive it. You must not let the cares of the world stomp it down. I have given you a river of joy. It is the ever-flowing Holy Spirit coming from deep within you and it cannot be stopped. But it can be resisted by the cares, worries, and stress of this life. Is it any wonder my joy only shows up from time to time? Joy is made so conditional. But, my joy is unconditional. No matter what is happening around you, my joy is always there.
When Mary came to visit Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s baby leaped with joy inside her womb. I have placed a new life deep within you called my Holy Spirit. He leaps with joy within you when you encounter me. It does not matter that finances are short. Live in joy. It does not matter that you have been misunderstood and rejected. Live in joy. It does not matter that your future is uncertain. Live in joy! All of these things will pass, my answers will come in due time, but how will you have lived life in the meantime?
There were two people living as neighbors. Both were born the same day, both experienced all the same troubles through life, and then both died on the same day. One lived in stress and worry over the cares of her life. The other left her worries at my feet and lived a carefree life of joy amidst her troubles. Which one lived the blessed life? Will worry add one dollar to your bank account? Worry has no power to deliver the answer it stresses for. On the other hand, my joy, life in my Holy Spirit, delivers what is needed at every moment to live an abundant life, no matter what the circumstances. I am giving you the gift of unspeakable joy! Bask in it. Live in it. Believe it. Release it and you will live abundantly.
Click to watch the video for the 16th Gift: Joy
An excerpt from "The Twenty Five Gifts of Christmas;
25 Daily Conversations with Jesus"
A daily devotional for December 1st through the 25th
These twenty five daily devotionals are written in first person from Jesus to you revealing twenty five gifts coming from His heart to your heart this Christmas season.
This devotional comes with a companion book: “Twelve Miracles of Christmas”. As a gift for becoming a Member of the Grace Becomes You community, we have included a download of the "Twelve Miracles of Christmas" book here. On December 25th, at the end of the series, we will make available to you all of the gifts in e-book form as well as the “Twelve Miracles of Christmas”.
The Christmas season is so busy with holiday activities on top of regular jobs, family and household duties. It is so easy for the real reason for the season to get lost in the frenzy. If your devotional life takes a dive during the holidays, fret not! Jesus has a personal word for you that will make this Christmas season spiritually vibrant.
These daily, three minute devotional readings are based on the events that took place in the lives of people around Jesus at the time of His conception and birth; Mary, Joseph, Zacharias and Elizabeth. Through these simple readings, new light springs forth from common words revealing powerful truths that will release the power of Jesus’ birth into your family, business, and your whole life all year long.
Never has one event had so much impact on the nature of man and the course of human events, from individual lives to whole of societal structures. Never has one event rewritten the lives and times of so many people on our planet. Are there personal truths just for you, hidden in these familiar passages, that could release the same earth shaking, life changing power of Jesus’ birth into your life? I believe the answer is a resounding "YES"!
Each of these twenty five personal messages reveals twenty five “gifts” Jesus is giving you. Each message is from a verse and the word that stood out to me as I prayed for you, which I have highlighted in bold. In just a few minutes a day for the next twenty five days, you can receive His gifts and release the power of Christmas to live a new, Holy Spirit powered life all year long.
Come now on a personal journey with just you and Jesus. Discover new intimacy with Him in these twenty five daily conversations leading up to Christmas. Each one is written in first person tense, as a personal message to you from Jesus. If seen with the eye of the heart, and acted upon, the twenty five gifts will release His power into your life.
