Meekness and JOY

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Trust me! It’s the right thing to do!

            Do you ever wonder why Jesus’ birth was announced first to the shepherds?  Max Lucado writes in his book One Incredible Moment  that it was because of their meekness and willingness to accept that God knew what He was doing.  He goes on to write that “had the angel gone to the theologians, they would have first consulted their commentaries.  Had he gone to the elite, they would have looked around to see if anyone was watching.  Had he gone to the successful, they would have first looked at their calendars.

            So he went to the shepherds.  Men who didn’t have a reputation to protect or an ax to grind or a ladder to climb.  Men who didn’t know enough to tell God that angels don’t sing to sheep and that messiahs aren’t found wrapped in rags and sleeping in a feed trough…"

            In other words, the shepherds were meek men who accepted the truth without question.  So where’s the JOY in this part of the Christmas story?  It’s found in the meekness of the shepherds…their tender hearts toward God.  Keep in mind that meekness is not weakness.  It’s quite the opposite.  When we allow the Holy Spirit to be in control of our thoughts, words, actions, desires; when we’re completely surrendered to God in all areas of our lives, we’ll be developing the fruit of meekness….and that leads to MUCH JOY in the Lord.

            Let’s follow the shepherds to the place of meekness and drink in the Christmas joy that can be freely ours.