Unrestrained Joy!

Matt.2:¹⁰ “And when they saw the star, they were so ecstatic that they shouted and celebrated with unrestrained joy.”

The first joy killer during Christmas and beyond is anxiety. Mary chose to trust God and her anxiety melted, and she was filled with joy. The second joy killer is resentment over hurt or bitterness. Are you going to be better or are you going to be bitter? Are you going to be bitter or are you going to be blessed? Joseph chose to be graceful and let the hurt or bitterness go, and he was filled with joy. The third enemy of joy is confusion; where do I go, to the left or the right? Should I go forward or should I go backward? People are confused at Christmas.

The wise men were confused; when they got to Jerusalem, they lost their direction and lost their joy. They turned Jerusalem upside down, looking for direction to the King of the Jews. Many people are confused; what do I do with this man or woman I married? What do I do with this family that God gave me? What do I do with this business, what do I do? What did the wise men do when they were confused? The wise men were confused, and they choose to follow God’s light. When you are confused, you need to choose to follow God’s light for your life. Matt.2:⁹ “After this interview, the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.”

The wise men did not have a map; they followed God’s light. Most times, we want God to give us a map for our lives. God does not work like that; God would not give you a map. Why does God not give us maps for our lives? God does not give us maps for two reasons. The first is that, if God gives you a map, and you see the map for your life, you would be confused. Think about it; look at your life in retrospect. If you had received the map, there are paths we would not have wanted to follow. We will be afraid and confused and so many things will happen. Secondly, God would not give you a map because if He did, you would not be dependent on Him for direction. After all, you already have the map. God gives us a lamp not a map.

We have a compass and a lamp. Ps. 119:¹⁰⁵ “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” The Word of God is indispensable. You need to read your Bible, and know your Bible, know what the Word of God says. The Word of God is a lamp; a lamp just shows you the next step. A lamp shows you as far as you need to go now, but you need to take that step to see the next step. If you do not take that next step, you would not see the step that comes after that. See what happened to the wise men in Matt. 2:¹⁰ “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (AMP). When you follow God’s light, you will be filled with joy and rejoice exceedingly. You need to stop following your intellect, stop following your certificate, and start following God’s light.

Prayer [song]: Lord, the light of Your love is shining. In the midst of the darkness, shining. Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us. Set us free by the truth you now bring us.  Shine on me, shine on me. Shine, Jesus, shine; Fill this land with the Father’s glory… Amen!