Strong spirits: joy

We all need joy.  Especially now with the world the way it is...

Much is made of joy at Christmas, and with good reason.  The Creator God becomes a human being to redeem us from our sins and the brokenness that they have caused.  "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)  God who is love becomes one of us in Jesus.  That is cause for great joy! Later, Jesus explains his intent for his followers: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full." (John 15:12).  Paul admonishes us to "Rejoice in the Lord always." (Philippians 4:4).  The apostle James takes it further: "Count it all joy when you meet with various trials.  For you know the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its full effect, so you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 2:2-4)  Joy from trials?  Yep!

The world is a mess. We all need as much joy as we can get.  Go to the source - God himself - and ask him to fill you with himself and his joy.  He is eager to do just that!

Besides serving as pastor at Caledonia Congregational Church, Gary Schwerin is the Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley and Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford. Prior to launching Bridge Ministries, Gary spent many years in leadership with Young Life. His columns appear here every Sunday - to see them all, subscribe to our daily email.