Day 359, Chronological Bible Study Timeline. Map. Go to today's Bible reading (use your browser arrow to return): 1John, 2John, 3John
Keep or Renew Your Joy
Christmas brings to mind twinkling lights, decorations, gifts, and joyous gatherings with loved ones. It's a busy time with lots of memories.
Christmas is joyous time for most people, but not all. How do we keep our joy all year long, or how do we recover the joy that we lost or never had? In today's Bible reading, the Apostle John's three letters offer us some hope.
In the introduction to his first letter, John wrote:
That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full (1 John 1:3-4, NKJV).
We can find joy, peace, gladness, and ultimate satisfaction in a personal relationship with God. Can we say, “truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ”? (1John 1:4, NKJV). (more)
John and his companions saw Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. To have life-giving joy in our hearts, we need to believe Jesus sacrificed himself for us and arose from the dead for the forgiveness of our sins. He did this to restore us to God, our creator.
If we have this relationship with him, how do we keep our joy beyond the holidays?
Walk in the Light
We need to “walk in the light as He [Jesus Christ] is in the light” (John 1:7). What does that mean? Negatively, it means we don't walk around in the darkness of sin, lies, and self-deception. Positively, it means we walk by the truth of God's Word. We obey him and maintain our fellowship with Christ and other believers.
If we do sin (and all people, including Christians, do sin), then, we should confess it with genuine remorse as soon as we realize it. If we confess our wrongs and turn to God from our sins, we receive forgiveness from him and continue to live in the light.
If we want to maintain our joy, we must continue to live in the light of Jesus Christ's truth and righteousness.
Don't Let Temptation Choke Your Joy
In his first letter (1 John) the apostle addresses fathers (those who are mature in their spiritual life), young men (those who are strong to fight against Satan, the evil one), and children (those who are immature believers). He warns them,
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1John 2:15-17, NIV).
No matter how mature we are, it's difficult to avoid materialism and pride, especially at Christmas. But the temporary joy of receiving new things or the pride of having the best of everything doesn't last. Satan is our enemy and will try to trip us up. His goal is to ruin our relationship with the Lord and spoil our joy.
We can find our joy in doing the will of the Lord.
Be wary of Joy Stealers
False religious leaders can steal our joy. They are apostates; their teaching sounds very appealing, but it leads us away from the truth. However, if we know the truth well, right away we can recognize errors. We can keep our joy and help others. Here are some marks of false teachers:
• They deny the truth found in God's Word.
• They deny Jesus is God, who became human to die for our sins in our place.
• They deny Jesus rose again from the dead.
• They deny total faith placed in Jesus Christ is the only thing necessary for salvation.
When false teachers draw us away from the truth, we lose our joy. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly,” (John 10:10, NASB).
Some false teachers are kind, popular, or gifted. Like an overabundance of Christmas candy, the new truths they proclaim seem sweet, but they leave us sick to our stomachs when we find out they're all lies. If we want to know Jesus and attain the abundant life he offers, then we must live in the truth found in God's Word.
Love Others
If we want our joy to remain, John says we should love people, and especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1John 4:7-12, NIV).
Whether or not it's Christmas, let's show some Christian love to people today. Give a hug, speak words of encouragement, give a gift, spend time, or do something kind for them (from The Five Love Languages by Gary Smalley).
(Romans 3:23,24; 1 John 1:7-9)
Discussion
Where is real joy found?
Who or what are threats to our joy?
What are some ways we can express our love and joy at
Christmas or other times of the year?
Focus Verse
3 John 1:3 (NIV) “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.”
Write a private prayer response to today’s Bible study:
Please send your comments to me, Rod
Looking Ahead: Tomorrow we will be reviewing the old year and getting ready for the new. What will the future hold? If the Lord were to review our life or church, what would he say? Join us for our next lesson—revelation and review.
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re-edited 12-24-2023
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