What is joy? It is one of the most important things in the whole universe.

C. S. Lewis called it “the serious business of Heaven”. Joy marks the difference

between existence and life. Its presence upgrades survival to being. Joy is our

enjoyment of God and the good things that come from God. According to God’s

Word, joy-the joy of the Lord– is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, the first to be listed after

love. It is a gift brought from Heaven to humanity by the Spirit of God and is

powerful beyond any human measure. It is more than a gift, it is a plan, a purpose,

a design of delightful character.

Was not joy likely in the mind of the Maker when He created the heavens and

the earth? Was not joy likely in the mind of Jesus when He taught His disciples

to pray, “thy will be done, as in Heaven, so on earth?” Jesus could have been

telling His disciples to pray to God, asking Him to bring the joy of Heaven to

earth. What a prayer that was!

Here is the way the joy factor works for us: If our freedom in Jesus Christ is a

piece of angel food cake, joy is the frosting. If the Holy Bible provides us with

the wonderful Words of Life, joy supplies the music and harmony. If the way to

Heaven turns out to be an arduous, steep climb, joy sets up the chair lift

Joy radiates animation, buoyancy, and sparkle. It is an authentic stamp of the

ultimate. As Shiller wrote, it is the pinion in the time wheel. Joy, in fact, puts a

glow on the whole universe!.

You can bring it up to speed. You can put it where it belongs —in your own

heart—at Christmas and year ‘round.

May God fill each and everyone of you with joy this Christmas season.

In Christ,