Jesus, who "was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" 2 Corinthians 8:9
As I was driving recently on the back country roads in Powhatan by my home, my heart was truly in a place where I was suspended in 'what was' and believing 'in what God was making of this all' as my mind was in a place filled with many emotions. As I began to capture my thoughts and begin praying, knowing the victory we have been given is in our need for Jesus, I then turned on the radio. Just then the LORD began to minister to my heart as I heard the words 'Eternal Joy' loud and clear. The LORD began reminding me of the joy I have been given in Him and of His promises to me and of the riches we have been given as we "delight in Him". How His this word met the deepest need in my soul....how rich we are in Christ Jesus, not by definition according to this worlds economy but according God's economy.
His joy began to fill my heart as sorrow can be a constant companion in our time of grieving but as I thought of the reason He came I thought "It was for this very reason"...to heal, restore, bring hope and give peace.....it's a joy that is in the Christmas message to us all that says God's grace is greater than our sin, greater than our need, greater than our most difficult circumstance He has chosen for us to walk through. The Christmas message that says that "the cross went as deep as our deepest needs".
I began to think of that first Christmas over 2000 years ago as the many stars shone in the sky, but none like the Eternal Star shining with a glorious brilliance as the LORD had taken the grandness of all lamps and hung it over a darkened and troubled world as lonely poor shepherds in the most mundane of duties were caring for their sheep as they did each day. In one moment, all of life changed for them as they looked on in great amazement as the glory of God was shed abroad in the darkest of the night, with the most glorious news and to the 'least of these' shepherds!
How the LORD interrupts our lives often in the most mundane of places and times, with Himself - like He does in the hearts of all men, of every tribe and nation. I was stirred in my heart to think of how He was interrupting my drive with His glorious news as well. Just imagine how ready their hearts were to receive His Words and hear from Him as they believed the words the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to ALL people"! To ALL people in need of His joy.... As the shepherds heard, they received this truth and believed and they went to Bethlehem to see Jesus face to face and in doing so their lives were transformed....and the same is for ALL people today...as we hear, receive and believe...'we see Him face to face' and He transforms our lives as well.
This eternal star proclaimed that Jesus came to bring good tidings of great joy to ALL people and everlasting joy is very different from our 'happiness'. Happiness is circumstantial. True Joy is only found in Him. If our sole purpose in life is to 'be happy' we will chase 'synthetic stars' disguised as dazzling trinkets appeasing our senses but these stars satisfy temporarily and leave the void in our heart empty and our earthly pursuits that our unpredictable feelings desire will leave us filled with anxiety, fear and an emptiness. But true joy can only be found in Christ and in the pursuit of delighting in Him. It is a joy we have been given because of our hope in Him that came and erased all our rebelliousness as "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" Colossians 1:13-14. This joy is not defined by our circumstances, this joy remains constant as we trust in Him, and this joy is willing to be shared with others as was seen with the shepherds who once they seen Jesus they went, "glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen" Luke 2:20
I think that although their social status did not change, their jobs did not change, and probably their circumstances may not have changed much - we dont read about those things in scripture - but we do read how their lives changed spiritually and they walked in a new found joy that they received in hearing this good news. Christmas is a time of renewed hope, a joy that is promised, despite our despair and tangled messes and the hopelessness our hearts can often feel with the difficulties this life can bring. Christmas is personal. The angel who said, "He will save His people from their sins", was speaking too of the very need of your heart and mine.
I am thinking of Jesus as we celebrate His birth. I think of the way of His coming into the world. Not as a earthly king robed in the most luxurious of materials or a birth announcement written on the finest of paper and trumpets blowing from the grandest of palaces. Our King came into this world leaving His throne in heaven to be born in a lowly manger to parents who were very ordinary and poor by the worlds economy....in a manger filled with hay and animals because there was no room for Him in the inn...and His birth announcement first made to the lowliest of poor shepherds tending to flocks in a field. Hardly the picture you would portray of someone born of royalty. He was born away from his home, on a journey his parents took to Bethlehem that we can see symbolizing the restless and wandering nature of this world in which He came. His public ministry on earth walking the roads and towns show us that He went where He was called to go...leaving the comforts of his home....to do the will of the Father. His example of true royalty; God's purpose, God's blessings and pursuing the Father for eternal purposes was lived against the grain of this world....as it is with all who Believe....His kingdom and ways lived 'in an up side down kingdom' compared to what our world teaches us and this is so beautiful.
Our joy is not found in the things of this world, the joy in profits from our labor, the money in our bank accounts, the seeking of earthly treasures. King Solomon, a very rich and wise king eventually discovered this truth he learned in his pursuit of earthly treasures and "luxurious worldly living", "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity! What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?" "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; fear God and keep His commandments, for this is mans all" (Ecclesiastes 1:2 -3, Ecc. 12:13). All is vanity and meaningless compared to the greatness of knowing God. True joy comes from Him alone, not in the "profits of labor or pursuing our happiness" but "in pursuing The One the prophets prophesized about". Jesus. His birth. His life. His death. His resurrection.
"Delight yourself in the LORD" Psalm 3:4. This word delight {anog} in Hebrew, is used for a garment that is delicate or luxurious. It means to feel great favor toward something. It carries the idea of being pliable or sensitive. To be dependent upon God and to derive one’s pleasure from Him. Does this describe us?
We will be joyful as we delight in Him and as we do we will be strengthened. "The joy of the Lord is our strength" Nehemiah 8:10b tells us. Satan's strategy is to rob us or our joy in Christ, to walk in the sin of unbelief, because then we are weak. Instead, we are to delight in Him. Remember we live in an upside down kingdom and as we delight in Him He will give our hearts fulfillment in the things that are everlasting. A joy that cannot be broken or fade away. Jesus was our greatest example as to what living in luxury truly means. To live in a relationship with the Almighty God. To enjoy His company and to know our purpose as to why we were created. To experience our burdens lifted because we have trusted in Him. The empty places in our hearts no longer empty....we experience a true joy that no one can ever give ous or take away from us.
To live a life of luxury comes with eternal benefits, peace, protection, provision. As we delight in Him it is as though He throws the most luxurious blanket over and around us giving us His best....as we 'luxuriate' ourselves in Him....in His love, grace and goodness.
The world can never satisfy our deepest longings but if we choose to delight in the LORD and His ways He will always give us the desires of our hearts, as His desires for us will become ours. Our hearts desires will match up with His will....and there could never be any other way of life lived that is more 'luxurious' than to experience the eternal treasure in Christ the King of Kings.
May your hearts rejoice this Christmas in the King of Kings. May your true joy be found in Him. If we are lacking joy we know where we are to turn....it's the reason He came. The star, the song, the promise, the gifts, the kneeling, worshipping and the joy, hope and peace -- all were because of Him for all people.
"Living in Luxury" does not consist in our earthly possessions but in the spiritual possessions we are given in Christ through a relationship with God through our faith in Jesus.
I pray that as we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas there is an unspeakable joy in our hearts as we see Jesus face to face like the shepherds. I pray that our lives will be transformed this Christmas as we hear, believe and receive from Him as they did...receiving the Truth with gladness and great JOY.
John 15:11 "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" ~ Jesus
Michelle A. Guerra
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