Weekly Devotional 6th of December 2024
by Bruce Billington
Advent Devotional – Week 2 Joy
This week we will continue with the Advent – the coming of Christ, or the Incarnation. This second session looks at the second great gift of the Advent, which is joy.
Joy is experienced through the salvation achieved by Jesus Christ in the past, personally experienced in the present, and confidently expected in the future. As we hold this before us, the present-day sufferings that we all experience in this life, are considered unworthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. We must embrace the fact that the Lord Himself, who came, who rose from the dead, who is present through the Holy Spirit and who is returning again, is the basis for all of our joy.
The shepherds who went and visited the baby Jesus must have recalled God’s word to Moses, and as such were terrified.
No man shall see God and live (Exodus 33:20)
However, an angel appeared before them and said to them,
Do not be afraid! (Luke 2:10).
The angel had not come as a minister of death but as one who announced life for all people. He came to bring good news of great joy. The statement from Luke is not only to the shepherds and the nation Israel but to all people who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
John 3:29 – “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.”
The church is the bride and Christ is the bridegroom. Christ brings the bride to Himself. John compares himself to the friend of the bridegroom who attends Him to bring honour and service and rejoices greatly to hear His voice. He then claims that his joy has been made full.
So, as friends of the bridegroom, our role is to take joy in His presence, worship Him and make Him known to all. We are told that we must first stand and hear the bridegroom’s voice, meaning receiving instructions from Him and then rejoice in the fact that He can speak to us and through us. This should be our greatest joy.
Jesus said in chapter John 8:56,
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
Abraham in heaven rejoices in this day, knowing the promise of a great harvest of sons and daughters to the Living God has become. As incredible as it may seem, the perfect joy that Jesus has because of His communion with the Father, is now available to all of those who are in Christ. Jesus tells us that instead of being burdened by a form of legalism, if we keep His commandments His joy will be in us and as a result, our joy will be made full (John 15:10). He also promises us that any prayer in His name will be heard (John 15:7 & 16). The world cannot take this joy away from us because it is grounded in Him and does not belong to the world.
Jesus does not pretend that we won’t experience difficulties in life, that we won’t suffer, or even face persecution and death. But He calls us to focus on His ultimate return where all these things will be ended, and our eternal joy will be a permanent part of our being (John 16:22).
This great joy is given as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) where it may be understood as a constant delight in God and a cheerfulness in conversation with those we encounter in life.
At the time that the real persecution of Christians began and became so severe to rob them of their property and all other possessions, they took joy in knowing that they had a better and lasting possession coming that no one could touch (Hebrews 10:34).
Martin Luther wrote in the last lines of a hymn,
And though they take our life,
Goods, honour, children, wife,
Yet is their profit small:
These things shall vanish all:
[But] the City of God remains.
Our joy is untouchable because of the coming of the Messiah and His once for all value of the cross.
God bless you.