But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10 CSB

The joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10b CSB

Over the past two weeks, we’ve looked at hope and peace as we prepare for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus. This week we are going to look at joy. Do you remember where we can find our hope and our peace? Yes, Jesus. Where do you think we can find our joy? If you guessed Jesus again, you are right! In our first verse, the angels are proclaiming joy for all people at His birth.

Joy is like super happiness. It is being happy with the Lord by our side even when things aren’t going our way. Think about your birthday. How happy are you to celebrate your special day? How happy are you when you get that gift you’ve been wishing for? Do you feel really happy, joyful? What other things can make you feel joyful?

With Jesus, we can feel that “super” happiness all the time, even when we have troubles. Instead of focusing on our troubles, we focus on the Lord Jesus. You and your best friend just had an argument and all you can think about is the mean things he said and the mean things you said. And you are definitely not feeling joy. So, change your focus.

Remember to focus on Jesus and not the problem. Jesus came to give us salvation. Thank You, Jesus. Jesus came to offer us forgiveness. Thank You, Jesus. Jesus came to give us eternal life with Him. Thank You, Jesus. Jesus promises to always be with us and help us. Thank You, Jesus. And now your joy is back even though you and your friend argued.

Jesus gave you forgiveness. And you can forgive your friend and ask for his forgiveness. You can be friends again. Because as our second verse tells us, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” With Jesus, you can find the strength to forgive and to ask for forgiveness when you’ve done something wrong.

And when we know that Jesus is with us, is helping us, is giving us strength, and working even our troubles for our good – we can have joy, His joy.

This week, find your joy in Jesus. Talk with your parents and family as Christmas gets closer and talk about the joy you all have in the Lord.

Blessings and joy at Christmas and always!