MEMORISE:
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17
READ: Luke 2:9-14
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
MESSAGE
Today’s memory verse clearly shows that continuous sadness has no place in the kingdom of God. As a matter of fact, being melancholic all year-round is not a Christian virtue. There is a song we used to sing in the past, and we need to remind ourselves of it today, it is a song in the Yoruba language, which being interpreted goes thus:
“My joy always abounds, My joy always abounds sorrow belongs to the camp of the devil; My joy always abounds”
The angels who announced the birth of our Lord brought joy from heaven to our sorrow-ridden earth. From the abundance of joy in heaven, they proclaimed joy to the world. Only those who are joyful can be comfortable in heaven; melancholic people will not fit in there. Our Lord wants us to be joyous irrespective of what the situation is around us, because our joy is not derived from what is happening in the world. For this reason, in John 16:22-24, He said to us:
“And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
One lesson I would like to draw your attention to in this scripture is that Jesus Christ knows what heaven is like, and He wants us to have a taste of heaven here on earth. Unfortunately, some people specialize in making other people sad by their wicked acts, or through diabolical means such as witchcraft, sorcery and other forms of spiritual wickedness in high places. They must be pitied because ultimately, they can never know joy in this world, neither will there be a place for them in the kingdom of God.
If you are currently living in sorrow, the Lord wants to bring you out of it before a broken spirit sends you to an early grave (proverbs 17:22). God wants your joy to be full, and that’s why He said you should ask Him in faith for whatever you need. The joy we possess as Christians comes from the joy of our salvation. We must guard this jealously and pray for its restoration whenever we err (psalm 51:12). We can learn to joyful by bringing joy to others. In other words, when you put smiles on the faces of people, you will also smile. Happiness is not far from those who make others happy, and joy symbolizes the presence of heaven in a place. Receive abundant joy today in Jesus’ Name!
KEY POINT:
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverb 17:22).
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 10-11
Hosea 9
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 5: LET OTHERS SEE JESUS IN YOU.
While passing thro' this world of sin,
and others your life shall view,
Be clean and pure without, within;
Let others see Jesus in you.
Refrain:
Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Keep telling the story, be faithful and true;
Let others see Jesus in you.
2. Your life's a book before their eyes,
They're reading it thro' and thro'
Say, does it point them to the skis,
Do others see Jesus in you?
Refrain
3. Then live for Christ both day and night,
Be faithful, be brave and true,
and lead the lost to life and Christ.
Let others see Jesus in you.
Refrain
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