A Thrill of Hope - Week 3: Day 4

Joy to the World

There was a need. I did not know it at the time, but God was already at work. The only thing I wanted to do was take my son on a missions trip, any missions trip, just so he could see that there were not only people less fortunate than he was from a worldly point of view, but that he would see that there were really people out there that had never heard the name of Jesus before. Even in the good ole’ United States! Hard to believe I know, but very true.

It was on this mission trip that we found ourselves sitting in a fast food restaurant taking a break from the drive. My oldest, probably 12-13 years old at the time, was sitting at the table with me and a friend from the youth group. For some reason, an older man sitting by himself caught my son’s attention. “Daddy, you think he knows Jesus?” “I don’t know butch, but you can go ask him.” Those two boys got up and went across that dining room, sat down with that man and I could not believe what I was seeing. They told a strange man that looked like he jumped out of the deliverance movie, all about Christ, at least what they knew to say. When they finished, back over they came, sat down with me, and were glowing from ear to ear. “Well,” I asked. “Did he know Jesus?” “No sir,” and he still doesn’t, but now he knows enough to make a decision.” Profound words from two young men that on that day, I became very proud of, and learned a great deal from.
 
There is a need. That is exactly why God sent His Son into the world. The need? Salvation. But not everyone knows of the opportunity they have to come to know Him intimately. When He came to the manger, He was and is “Joy” to the world, and honestly, it’s a shame when people either forget or do not know that to begin with.

One of the most famous, most popular verses in the Bible is John 3:16, “For God…” saw a need and met the need at the expense of His Son for sinners like you and me so that there would once again be joy in this world. Not selfish, prideful, materialistic happiness, but joy.
People do not have to know Jesus to know that there is something desperately wrong with the world today. And while things may seem to be compounded with time, I can tell you that even as a young boy I knew that something was desperately wrong. I knew, and you probably did too at some point, know that pain and death, grief and sorrow, were wrong and unnatural. I didn’t know why, but I knew that all the bad things were not the way it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be good, and it was supposed to be forever.  Something told me things were wrong, and when I became old enough to understand that what was wrong was that overall, man had abandoned their maker, then the pieces started falling into place, I began understanding, and I developed a need not only for joy but to share the Joy Maker.

Christmas always brings me back to that place. The place where I again think about joy, and how Jesus is the true source of that joy. How that joy would not even be possible without the manger. How Jesus could never had died on the cross if He were never born in the flesh. And most importantly, how vitally important it is to stand up and shout “Joy to the Word, the Lord is come!”

One of the greatest honors in the Bible is that David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart. Surround yourself with people that seek a heart of God, that prioritize Jesus, and that embrace His joy! We need it now more than ever. Will you pray for that?