Skip to main content
HE GIVES JOY
(Luke 1:46-55—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang)

The JOY of the Lord is something we RECEIVE, not we take, capture, or catch.   “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy,” said Elizabeth. The presence of Christ brings joy into our soul. This joy is “divine” and we can’t create or make it. We can only receive it as the gift of Christ. This joy will happen only when the Spirit of Christ is presence in our lives, as can be seen in the testimony of Mary and Elizabeth.

What is Joy?  Joy may come in the form of laughter. But not all laughter will bring joy. Joy is not merely a good feeling. Joy is a serenity deep inside our soul that will not be disturbed by any life storms and  challenges. Joy is more than happiness and optimistic. Joy is not a man-made feeling.  Joy is the assurance that God is in control of every detail of my life. The assurance will calm and still the turbulence in our hearts. Joy is the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright. No matter what happen, we trust God is in control and He is able. Joy is “the determined choice” to praise God is all situation. Such praises may not be always loud but the presence of the joy of Christ will overwhelm us and overflow praises as can be seen in the case of Mary.

How to receive joy? Joy like Jesus Christ is a gift, we need God’s favour just like Mary— the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God (v30). God foresees who will appreciate His gift before He bestows on them. He chose Mary and God makes no wrong choice. And Mary said, “Behold,  I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (v38).  From Mary’s response, two things we can see, first, be open. Mary is willing to give up her own will and plan, including to jeopardize her marriage so she can follow God’s will. Second, Mary is humble. She knows who God is and who she is: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.” She knows God has the best interest of her. She may not fully understand what Gabriel has told her, but she trusts God and to put her life completely in God’s hands.  How about us? Being Christians or church members will not bring us joy. Only the presence of Christ will give us this divine joy. Check your soul! Is the joy of Christ there? This joy will come only when Christ is present in our life!

A joyful soul is a praising soul. Mary sings, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” When the presence of Christ is in our soul, our heart will always be thankful. The fullness of Christ in us will compel us to break into joy, like Mary. Praises will come out naturally!
Jesus comes to bring us joy. Learn from Mary: be open to receive His GIFT. Be humble to let His Joy stay in your life—so that we can magnify the Lord and rejoice in Christ our Saviour!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kehendakku vs KehendakMu "Ya Bapa-Ku, jikalau Engkau mau, ambillah cawan ini dari pada-Ku; tetapi bukanlah kehendak-Ku, melainkan kehendak-Mulah yang terjadi." (Lukas 22:42) Mira adalah ukuran kebahagian yang diinginkan oleh banyak orang. Cantik, tamatan luar negeri, orang tua yang masih sehat dan cukup kaya. Usia masih tigapuluh lima , menikah dengan suami yang baik dengan karir yang mantap , dilengkapi dengan dua orang putri yang sehat dan pintar. P ersis di puncak ke hidupan ini, tiba-tiba suaminya, Hendra , divonis kanker tulang belakang. Tidak sampai setahun, ajal menjemput Hendra . Mira sang janda yang masih cukup muda ini harus menata kembali hidupnya tanpa suami. Belum setahun berselang, ayah Mira harus dilarikan ke rumah sakit karena serangan jantung dan ia pun tidak pernah kembali lagi ke rumah. Kembali Mira harus mengenakan kain kabungnya. Hanya beberapa bulan berselang, g ulungan awan k umulus kembali menyelimuti keluarga ini. Mira yang lincah dan cekatan, tiba-...
Post a Comment
Read more
Cuma itu yang bisa saya lakukan, hanya kehadiran saja Saya jadi teringat: Musa meminta kepada Tuhan, " if your presence (kehadiran) does not go with us, do not send us from here " ( jika Engkau sendiri tidak membimbing kami, janganlah menyuruh kami pergi dari tempat ini" (Kel 33:15) Kesibukan hidup menjadikan " kehadiran" menjadi sesuatu yg sulit kita berikan kepada orang lain, keluarga ( suami, istri, anak-anak, cucu2, atau orang tua) dan bahkan kepada Allah. Ironis, sama seperti Musa kita merindukan kehadiran Allah (hadiratNya) - kehadiran Roh Nya. Namun, apakah kita juga hadir di hadapanNya?  Ketika kita beribadah, baik sendiri maupun bersama-sama di gereja, apakah kita hadir di hadiratNya? secara jiwa, raga, hati, dan akal  budi? (Mar 12:30). Di hadapan orang-orang yang kita kasih? Ketika secara fisik kita hadir pun, perlu kita cek apakah Jiwa dan hati kita juga hadir di sana? Fenomena sekarang, ketika fisik sudah ...
1 comment
Read more
The Theology of Giving PL THE The practice of unity in the early Church is most evident in the sharing of resources among the believers. The early Church existed to assist unfortunate people. Early believers cared for the poor both inside and outside the church. The Church was known as the organization of alms. Emperor Julian was impressed with the church’s charity work and imitated the Christian community by establishing many hostels in each city to help less fortunate town’s people and strangers. In the late first and early second century, almsgiving was regarded as equal to repentance from sin and considered better than fasting and prayer. In the church the rich and the poor lived together as one body. The rich supplied the poor with material needs, and the poor prayed for the rich. Regarding structure, the early Church was a house church, which implies “the church is the place for life” and is a house for human relationship (Pongudom 126-28). The principle of sharing resources refl...
Post a Comment
Read more