Overflowing Joy.. Craig Denison Ministries

 

Overflowing Joy

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Christmas is a time where we as believers celebrate God’s heart to write himself into our story. Prior to Jesus we had no real picture of God’s love. All we had to know him by was through stories of old and commandments written into law. But only in Jesus was a pathway created whereby we could walk in intimacy with the Father again. Only in Jesus was the veil torn allowing God’s manifest presence into the earth. We owe all that we have to Jesus. We owe all that we have to Christmas. May these two days be filled with joyful worship as we celebrate our newborn King.

Scripture:

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” 1 Peter 1:8

Devotional:

In Luke 2:8-14, the Bible describes a beautiful event around the time of Jesus’ birth. Scripture says,

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

This passage contains my favorite phrase in the Christmas story: “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” The birth of Jesus was intended to be a celebration of great joy for everyone. With all of humanity in his heart, God sent his only son. With an overwhelming desire to have restored relationship with his people, God came down in the flesh that we might learn of the good news of his unconditional love.

God’s intention for you and me is to be a people of great joy. We’ve been given the greatest gift the world has ever known in Jesus. New life, eternal redemption, and unhindered relationship with our Creator are ours because of Christmas.

But in order for you and me to receive the overflowing joy available to us in God, we have to choose to center ourselves around who Jesus is. We have to choose to center our emotions, actions, words, thoughts, and decisions around God’s unceasing mercy and steadfast love. The world tries to pull our hearts in every direction. Stress, earthly pursuits, and constant pressure mark the hearts and minds of so many. But the miracle of Christmas is that we can set our eyes on God himself. We can see and know who God truly is and gain perspective on even the hardest of circumstances.

Overflowing joy is yours today in the Holy Spirit. Real, abundant life is available to you this Christmas. Just as Jesus died for you, he was born for you. Just as he gave his life on the cross, he gave his throne in heaven to take on flesh. Everything you truly need has been provided for you in the heart of God. May your day be filled with overflowing joy and ceaseless praise as you set your eyes on Jesus, the author of “good news and great joy that will be for all the people.”

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on Jesus’ heart to fill you with overflowing joy. Set your eyes on him and look at his face of love.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

2. Where do you need joy today? Where do you need peace that transcends circumstances?

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

3. Open your heart to God and receive what he longs to give. Rest in his unfailing love and boundless joy.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” 1 Peter 1:8

May you find joy in every little gift God’s given you today. Whether it’s in opening presents, spending time with family, eating good food, or simply enjoying his presence, God has good and pleasing gifts for you today and every day. May his love for you be a foundation on which you can fully enjoy everything in your life. May his grace sustain you through any circumstance. May his face shine upon you that your heart might be filled with peace.

Extended Reading: Luke 2

Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?..Lynette Kittle

 Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?

By Lynette Kittle

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). — Matthew 1:23

Have you noticed how many Christmas movies focus on receiving a Christmas miracle?

Although many center on Santa Claus making things happen, still Christmas is portrayed as a time for long-awaited hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.

Rightly so, too, because Christmas is all about miracles!

It’s a celebration of the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, God comes to earth in human form, to live among mankind and save people from their sins. What could be more miraculous than that?

So how do you approach Christmas? Are you hoping for God to do the impossible in your life? Do you believe what Jesus said, that all things are possible with God? (Mark 10:27)

If you aren’t expecting God to do the impossible at Christmas or any other time of the year, perhaps it’s because of past disappointments, of times where you had great hope and anticipation but didn’t see your prayers answered?

If so, ask God to renew your expectancy in Him, to revive your faith despite your disappointments. Choose to base what you believe about God on what Scripture says about Him, rather on past discouraging experiences.

If former letdowns are holding you back from having faith in God, James 1:6 encourages you to believe with all your heart and not doubt God because doubt inhibits the impossible.

Scripture explains what happened when Jesus visited His hometown and the residents doubted Him. Their disbelief affected what they were able to receive from Jesus. As Matthew 13:58 explains, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”

If you’re lacking faith in believing God is able to do the impossible, ask Him to increase your faith. Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Consider how everything you see created was once impossible without God. As John 1:3 explains, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

As Jeremiah 32:17 describes, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”

Colossians 1:16 further describes, “For in Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

At Christmas and all year long, choose to believe that nothing is too difficult for God to bring about in your life by stepping out in faith and asking Him to transform your impossibilities into possibilities.

A Prayer for Christmas..Emma Danzey

 A Prayer for Christmas

By Emma Danzey

Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

It is already Christmastime again. The decor is displayed in the stores, the songs are playing, decorations are being put up, classic movies are starting to run on tv, and special events and shows are running. We can easily be so dazzled by the physical and worldly Christmas traditions that we miss the preparation of our hearts for the time of celebrating Jesus’ birth. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good Christmas tree and wrapping gifts like anyone; however, as believers, we know that there is a much deeper and more valuable meaning to this time of year. We know the true meaning of Christmas, and we are invited each year to take time and press into the joy and worship of our Savior. Today, let’s pray as we prepare our hearts for Christmas.

Let's Pray:

Dear Jesus,
You are the Child who was born in the manger for us in Bethlehem many years ago. Thank You for humbling Yourself and coming down in the form of man to be our eternal Savior. Thank You for being our Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. 

We declare today that You are wonderful in your perfection and in all that you say and do. You have been wonderful to undeserved sinners like us. We praise You. Thank You for being our Counselor and for sending the Holy Spirit to guide us each day. We praise You for being our Mighty God. You have parted seas, performed miracles, raised the dead to life, and conquered and defeated sin. We worship You for being our Everlasting Father. Even though we all, like sheep, have gone astray, you pursued us and welcomed us back into Your kingdom and adopted us, and called us co-heirs with Christ. We thank You for being our Prince of Peace. This is such a comfort as we suffer in this world of sin and walk through life knowing the difficulty that we face. We have forever peace and hope in You.

As we reflect that You could have left us to our sin, but You had a plan from the beginning to come for us, may we be glad-hearted. Fill us with the joy and excitement that You came to be our Savior and rescue us. Thank You for teaching us that Your ways are not our ways and that they are better than our own. 

Help us to have teachable hearts this Christmastime to not only hear Your word and think on the gospel but to allow You to reveal it to us in fresh ways. God, show us new perspectives and give us greater appreciation for what You did and sweeter insight into details in Your Word which we have never seen.

Enable us to excitedly teach the next generation about Your love and how You came to earth. Give us creativity in presenting the gospel message through the Christmas story. Help us to have awe of You and excitement to share You with those younger than us. Give us wisdom on how to teach them the real meaning of Christmas and celebrate together in worshipful ways. Provide new ideas for new traditions to take place that would enable us to fix our eyes on You.

Even in the secular celebrations of this holiday, help us to include You and seek You within those other joys knowing that You are Creator and made all of the trees and gave us lights, and provided chocolate for hot chocolate to the world and gingerbread houses. May we be in amazement at Your beauty and Your splendor in every season. 

We pray over those who have a difficult time during the holidays. Help them to rest in You and feel seen and cared for by community. We pray that this Christmas would be an intimate time with You. We pray for those who are new to families or are part of new traditions to feel welcomed and enjoy this new sweet season. You are so good, and we praise you for being the Savior of the world. Amen.

Authority in a Manger..Meg Bucher

 Authority in a Manger

By Meg Bucher

“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.” - John 13:3 NLT

The Christmas story often begins in with the manger scene, with Mary’s immaculate conception, Joseph’s message of reassurance from an angel, or the journey Mary made to see her cousin Elizabeth …who was pregnant with John the Baptist at the time. The familiar elements of the story of Christ’s birth on earth are only a fraction of the majestic coordination of the events leading up to His first human cries on earth. The verse above tells us Jesus knew who He was and what His mission on earth consisted of. He also knew He would return to the Father.

God the Father gave God the Son authority over heaven and earth. Authority is defined as the power to determine or settle issues or disputes; the right to control, command, or determine.  Jesus has authority. The apostle Matthew wrote:

“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18 NLT

We don’t have the authority to forgive sins, but we are to forgive each other as Christ forgives us. He is the One who has the authority to forgive sin and the power to reconcile what has been divided. It is by His authority we are healed, transformed, and made more like Him each day. Born in Bethlehem under humble circumstances, Jesus has the ultimate authority. The apostle John recorded these words of Jesus:

“The Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge …He has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.” John 5:22, 27 NLT

Christmas to some, is merely commercial. To many, Jesus was just a good person. But to those to whom the truth has been revealed, we know the baby born in Bethlehem came to defeat death itself. The prophet Jeremiah wrote:

“But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the LORD.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” Jeremiah 23:36 NLT

He was addressing people twisting or adding to Scripture. Jesus’ birth fulfilled prophecy, as did His life on earth. Biblical truths can be historically traced. God doesn’t mind our questions. Questions build strong faith. We are to take everything we know and hear and line it up to the Truth of God. When Jesus taught the Scriptures during His life on earth, He was doing so as the Living Word of God! That’s who He is! The apostle Mark wrote:

“The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority- quite unlike the teachers of religious law.” Mark 1:22 NLT

Faith in Christ Jesus allows His power to flow through our lives. We walk in step with His Holy Spirit from the moment we believe. Through Him, we understand what the Word is saying, remember it when we need it, and know when and how to apply it to our daily lives. Jesus willingly came to earth as a baby, grew up into His ministry and laid down HIs life for us. God is purposeful. Not one note of the Truth is accidental. John recorded these words of Jesus:

“No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” John 10:18 NLT

Intersecting Faith and Life:

“By my power I will make my people strong, and by my authority they will go wherever they wish. I, the LORD, have spoken!” - Zechariah 10:12 NLT

Christmas is a time to remember Christ Jesus, born on earth to save us. Through God’s power and authority, Mary became pregnant even though she was a virgin. God’s power and authority caused Joseph to trust in the angel’s message of reassurance. John the Baptist was born, Jesus’ cousin, to two people too old to have children. John and Jesus leaped in their mothers’ wombs when Mary and Elizabeth met! Through God’s authority and power, impossible things become reality. 

We, too, get to take part in the Christmas story. As God sent Jesus, Jesus sent His disciples:

“Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirts and to heal every kind of disease and illness.” - Matthew 10:1 NLT

With the same authority, God sent Jesus to earth, He is sending us out into the world to spread the good news of the Gospel of Christ Jesus:

“Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.” - Romans 1:5 NLT

 Christmas is a time to prepare our hearts for the birth of the Savior of the World sent for us. Each day, we get to walk in step with Him. He is always with us through the power of His Holy Spirit. Let us walk in the authority of the manger …

Further Reading:

• John 12:49; 17:2
• Acts 5:29
• 1 Corinthians 15:27-28