A Joyful Gift Idea: Encouragement!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It’s more blessed to give than receive.  So give generously during this Christmas season..

            Especially during this time of year, we should be sensitive to the doors of opportunity God opens for us to be a blessing to people along our way.  Let’s be intentional about sharing the love and joy of the Lord with others by encouraging them with our words, our actions and our gifts.

            Speaking of gifts, I have a great Christmas gift idea for everyone on your list. It’s economical; and it demonstrates the love and joy of Jesus!  One size fits all….and it works no matter what age or gender, regardless of interests or talents. Everybody enjoys this gift whether they admit it or not.   It’s the gift of ENCOURAGEMENT.

            Author Karen Porter says that encouragement is like a chocolate candy kiss.  Even though it’s small, it sure yields wonderful results! And we find ourselves looking forward eagerly to the next taste!  In the same way, just a word of encouragement hints at the love of God and leaves us wanting more! 1 Thess. 5 :11 tells us to encourage one another and build each other up.

              

            Let’s ask God to make us sensitive to others during this Christmas season.   You may never know what a difference this gift will make in the life of a person who is in of a simple of word of encouragement !

Give the beautifully wrapped gift of encouragement this season, tied with a sparkling ribbon of joy.

           

Give JOY to Others This Christmas

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  May I suggest that you give “joy” as  Christmas gifts this year?

            Often we get caught up in the “what I want for Christmas” mode. It’s not just children who make their wish list.  We begin to drop hints to our family and friends about what we really NEED. And often our “needs” and “wants” are confused!   Are we guilty of spending too much time thinking about what we are going to GET for Christmas?

            Let’s be reminded that we already have the BEST gift of all…..God’s son, Jesus. What a gift of love! God sacrificed His son, so that we might know the JOY of the Lord as our strength!  This week let’s think about how we can pass that love and JOY on to others during this Christmas season.

            One way that we can share Christ’s love is simply by following the instructions of  Paul in Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider OTHERS better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”   Paul was encouraging us to take our eyes off of ourselves—our wants, our desires, our rights— and think of others instead. 

           

            This Christmas season, let’s stop thinking so much of our agenda and begin to look around to see how we can help someone else.  You’ll be surprised at how much JOY will be in your heart when you share the JOY of Jesus with others!

 “Consider others” by sharing the best Christmas gift of all…the gift of JOY in relationship with Jesus!  

Keep Christ in Christmas!

       Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  If you have begun your Christmas season focusing on the joy of Jesus’ birth, then you are headed toward a blessed Christmas season.

       When we are intentional about keeping Christ in Christmas, then we will see His joy throughout each day. When Jesus is our priority, it becomes much easier to see His hand in all things. Even when we are going through tough times…whether financial or physical, emotional or spiritual…..we can have JOY because our faith is in Him.

 For some people, the holidays are a sad time because they have lost loved ones.  Others have been through a divorce or are separated from beloved family members due to circumstances beyond their control.  Some people dread the holidays for a variety of reasons.

            However you feel about this time of year, always remember that God loves you!  He loves you so much that He sent His Son just for YOU!  And as we approach this Christmas season, we can depend on that love to continue to be there for us.  Psalm 55:22 tells us to “Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you.”

           Never hesitate to give Him your concerns. Lay them at His feet so that you can experience strength in Him.  That’s the kind of JOY that He wants you to have as your special Christmas gift this year.  Won’t you accept His unmatchable gift of love?

           Focus on the birth of Christ.  Let Him have your burdens so that you can experience His joy during this Christmas season—as well as every other day of the year.   

Make Room for Joy

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Are you taking the time to soak in the warm joy of the Christmas season?

            Luke 2 tells us that while Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, “the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

             Though I know all of this was God’s perfect plan, I’ve always felt a little sadness that there was “no room for them in the inn”.  Just think about how uncomfortable that stable must have been for Mary.  She had to give birth…not in a nice hospital room…not even in the comfort of her own home.  She gave birth to the King of Kings in a lowly, smelly stable.  His bed was a manger filled with hay….  “Because there was no room for them in the inn.”

            This Christmas let’s ask ourselves if we have made room in our hearts for Jesus.  We would have no reason to celebrate Christmas, if it were not for the birth of our Savior.   It is imperative that we focus on that gift…the indescribable gift that came in the form of a baby. I can guarantee if we will make Christ a priority, this Christmas will be filled with a special kind of JOY!

Make room in your heart and your home for the inexpressible joy of knowing Jesus as your personal Savior.  He IS the reason for JOY. As 2 Corinthians 9:15 says: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

Rejoice in the Birth of Jesus!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  During this Christmas season, please don’t forget to put “Joy” at the top of your Christmas list. 

            Joy truly is a gift.  God gave us His Son Jesus and no better gift will there ever be! Philippians 4:4 reminds us to “rejoice in the Lord always”.   No, we won’t always be in joyful situations; we will not always be happy. But if we’ll keep Jesus as our focus and depend on joy in our relationship with Him…then we will be “rejoicing in the Lord”.

          Christmas is rapidly approaching. There will be many fun activities….like parades & parties, shopping & baking.  But let’s not take our eyes off the real reason that we are celebrating. If we do, we will be in danger of missing the JOY of Christmas.

            So what can we do to assure that we are keeping the main thing the main thing?  Here are a few suggestions:

• Let’s start the day with a prayer of gratitude, thanking God for the birth of His Son, Jesus.
• Read the Christmas story from the Bible.  Why not let that be our daily devotionals during this entire month?  We can find the story of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
• When we decorate our homes, let a nativity set be the focal point so that we’ll have a visual reminder of the birth of Jesus.
• And let’s choose to worship faithfully in the church of our choice.  To gather with fellow Christians during any time of year is special, but at Christmas it’s extra JOYful!

 Rejoice in the birth of Jesus and have a joyfully blessed Christmas season.  

Open the Gift of Indescribable Joy

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Children drink gobs of Joy Juice during this season of the year…and we should follow their example.

            Don’t you love to watch children during the Christmas season?   The wonder in their sparkling eyes, the excitement in their voices, the squeals of delight when they see the lights and packages with their names on them!   I can remember as a little girl being thrilled over the Christmas season. Countless times a day, I would ponder over the pages in the catalogs that would come in the mail. My wish-list grew longer and longer….hoping that at least some of those items would be under my tree on Christmas morning.   

            Even though my parents were careful to keep things in perspective, I’m afraid my focus was in the wrong place.  I knew we were celebrating Jesus’ birthday, but I’m sure I really didn’t grasp the significance of His birth. As adults, we do we grasp the significance of the birth of Jesus? Or are we caught up in the “hurry and worry” of the holidays? We should be intentional about celebrating the right thing….and teach our children about the real reason for the season.

            This year, let’s put our focus on the BEST gift of all. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”  2 Corinthians 9:15 says. God has already sent His love to us wrapped in the form of his Son, Jesus.  When we open that glorious gift, our focus will not be on material things. Instead, we will desire what’s in the best Book of all ….the Bible….God’s Word.   And that promises to bring a JOYful Christmas to all of us.

Open the gift of indescribable, glorious joy….and share Jesus with others throughout the holidays.

           

The Joyous Spirit of the Season

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Can you believe that Thanksgiving is already past and Christmas is around the corner!  With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we’d better drink lots of Joy Juice to keep us in the “spirit of the season”.

             It’s true that many of us miss “the spirit of the season”! Stores started weeks ago pulling out their Christmas decorations and filling the shelves for early shoppers.  We may have already begun making our lists and agonizing over what to get our family members this year.  How many of us have already marked our calendars with numerous Christmas parties, dinners, programs and events? And that’s not even to mention trying to plan with our loved ones when and where to meet for family time during the holidays.

           And then there’s decorating our house, making Christmas candy for the neighbors, practicing for the church Christmas program, attending the school Christmas sing-a-long and the community Christmas parade.  Are you tired yet….and it’s just the first Monday in December!  Let’s take a big swig of Joy Juice and think about this for a minute.

         What is this season all about?  To see how much “busyness” we can pack into the month? Or is it about experiencing the JOY of Jesus?  Let’s remember that we would have no reason to celebrate if it were not for the birth of Christ.    Why don’t we make a conscious effort to truly enjoy Christmas this year? The angel said it best in Luke 2:10: “I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be for all people!”

May the “tidings of joy” radiate from each of us as we share the JOY of Jesus in celebration of His birth.