“Don’t let Satan rob you of the joy of the season.” I read this exhortation in an advent devotional the first week of December.

How might Satan steal our joy? He takes our focus from Jesus Christ.

If the deceiver points to meager gifts, disappointing festivities, burned sugar cookies, or lonely nights, remember:

–Jesus came so we can live in the presence of God.

When my heart opened to Jesus Christ it was as if a veil lifted from my eyes and I saw Him, I knew who He was, and I was in His presence. If you too live in the presence of God, you have a salvation story uniquely yours.

Some of these stories are recorded in the Bible.

The Apostle Paul met Jesus Christ on the way to Damascus to arrest Christians who claimed Jesus was the way to God and worshiped Him. He was immersed in a great light and fell to his knees in repentance.

Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector, climbed a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus as He passed by. But Jesus saw him and invited him to fellowship.

After Jesus rose from the dead He met two disciples, who were dismayed by His crucifixion. He walked with them to the village of Emmaus. During the journey He took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. [Luke 24:27] At the evening meal in Emmaus, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him as the Messiah.

If you have not yet met Jesus, ask, “what category am I in?”

Like Paul, do you believe you are righteous and therefore do not need a savior? Are you like Zacchaeus, labeled by society as despicable and therefore beyond any hope of salvation? Or, perhaps you have acknowledged Jesus is the Son of God, like the two on the road to Emmaus, but have not made that personal connection.

The third is my experience. I celebrated the birth of Christ at Christmas without having that personal relationship with Him until one moment in time when my head knowledge became heart knowledge and I saw Jesus for who He is and walked into the presence of the living God.

Romans 5:11 tells us that we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we receive reconciliation.

–Jesus came that we may have life abundantly.

John 10:10 reads: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus is speaking, and the thief He is referencing is Satan.

The Greek word translated “abundantly” is “perissos” [pe-ris-sos]. It means superabundant–in quantity, or superior in quality; excessive, beyond measure.

I have crossed paths with brothers and sisters in Christ whom I have not seen in a while. To catch me up on all that has occurred since we last talked, they tell me they are living the “good life.” Usually, that means everything is going their way. But is this the life Jesus was talking about?

I think not. I came to a greater understanding of this Scripture during an early morning Biblical discussion with my husband, Terry, as we were drinking coffee. He stated that a good description for the work of Satan was entropy [en-truh-pee], which is a physics term. Simply put, it is a lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder.

There is no comparison— life with Jesus is “excessive beyond measure in quantity and quality” while the thief’s work results in decline.

When Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we are transformed—built back into the person God created us to be.

–Jesus came to set us free.

Sin no longer has the hold it once did because God now puts His commands within our hearts and writes them on our minds. [Hebrews 10:16] Chuck Smith explains that when we are in Christ, God works from the inside out by putting His thoughts and desires in our heart.

The Law given to the Israelites to help them walk in righteousness with God worked from the outside in and consisted of a list of do’s and don’ts. Those most familiar to us are known as the 10 commandments.

          Before Christ, they are a list of “You shall nots.” “You shall not steal; you shall not covet; you shall not murder.” After Christ, the emphasis becomes “you shall.” “You shall not steal; you shall not covet; you shall not murder.”

We are freed from the bondage of sin because we are changed from the inside. And most importantly the Holy Spirit who resides in us is our teacher and helper. It’s a supernatural power rather than willpower. 

–Jesus came to give us hope and a future.

We will one day see Jesus face to face, but eternal life begins when our spirit comes alive and we experience the second birth described in John chapter 3.

Scripture tells us “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3

The Bible is a book about God and He reveals Himself within its pages. He tells us that He is our provider, our refuge, our comforter, our sustainer, our conqueror, and our strength.

How do these words on paper become our reality?

When we seek Him in all these capacities, we will find He truly is our provider, refuge, comforter, sustainer, conqueror, and strength.

The prophet Jeremiah tells us: “We will find God when we seek Him with all our heart.” [29:13.]

This is our hope. The koine Greek word for hope in the New Testament is “elpis” which indicates trust and confidence. We can confidently know God is all He says He is and will fulfill every promise He makes.

What is our future? Glorification. At the second coming of Christ believers will enter into the eternal “kingdom of God” and attain complete conformity to the image and likeness of the glorified Christ.¹

The Apostle John writes to believers in 1 John 3:2-“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

–Jesus came so we can be the masterpiece he envisions.

We are masterfully created. I am not talking about how our body works (although amazing), but our individual talent, skills, personality traits, viewpoint, and spiritual insight. All that makes us unique, one of a kind.

In Christ, we become the person God envisioned, fit for the Master’s use. Ephesian 2:10 explains— “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

We become the masterpiece God created by His hand. He uses the circumstances we go through to hone us into the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-29). He gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth (John 16:13-14). The change takes place lesson by lesson as we read God’s Word and listen to Biblical teachers; conviction by conviction as the Holy Spirit reveals how to implement Scripture; and test by test as God gives us opportunity to glorify Him by our actions.

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

I have named five reasons to rejoice, but my list is very short compared to what it might be. At the end of the gospel of John, the apostle wrote that the whole world could not contain the books that would be written if everything Jesus did was written down. This is also true of the reasons to rejoice over His birth.  

I hope you will create a list of all Jesus Christ has done, not just for humanity but you personally. This is the joy of Christmas that can never be snatched, not even by Satan.

Merry Christmas! 

©2024 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved

Resources:

1-Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms by Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling published by InterVarsity Press.

     I have been reading about the rhythms of work, rest, and worship established by God. He shows us what is best in each of these areas. What our calendar should look like.

     God has established rhythms that keep us tethered to Him. Why is this important? Because we are prone to wander.

     Bible study author Erin Davis brings this to my attention. She writes that she sang an 18^th century hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” as a lullaby to her boys for they were born with the DNA of Adam and Eve. Therefore, as sinners, they like us are prone to wander.

     A few of the words penned by Robert Robinson:

     Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!

     Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee:

     Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;

     Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.

     “We’re all prone to wander, aren’t we? Our sinful hearts are prone to wander from God’s law. We are prone to forget His precious promises. We tend to prioritize our way over God’s way,” writes Davis.¹

     God gives us direction on rhythms we can use as measurements to see if we might be wandering away from Him. Look at your day, week, month and see if your pattern of work, rest, worship is drawing you closer to God or if you are drifting from Him.

–The rhythm of work.

     God provides for us by the work of our hands.

The very first job description was written by God for Adam. He was to tend and watch over the Garden of Eden. The trees in the garden produced delicious fruit that sustained him.

     We are commanded to work. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians “If anyone is not willing to work, he should not eat.” [3:10] And he wrote to Timothy that families were responsible for the support of their relatives, particularly members of their household. [1 Timothy 5:8]

     But work does much more than pay rent and put food on the table. It helps us develop our God given skills and talents and use them for God’s glory. God is creative, productive, and insightful and we are like Him. Work gives us purpose and fulfillment. We get up in the morning not to just survive but to thrive as we contribute to the wellbeing of our families as well as society. Also, we achieve mastery in areas of giftedness as we pursue those God given passions such as music, writing, math, art, engineering, architecture, and fashion.

     Work is good but it should not be all consuming. How much of your day is devoted to your job or career?

–The rhythm of rest.

     The command to rest from labor is given in Exodus 20:8-10. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work.” NLT

     “A good God has ordained regular rhythms of rest for those who worship him,” writes Jen Wilkin in her book “Ten Words to Live By.”²

     The Hebrew word shabat translated as Sabbath means “cease.” Wilkin explains, “More than the deliberate cessation of work for the purpose of decompressing, Sabbath is the deliberate cessation of any activity that might reinforce my belief in my own self-sufficiency.”

     It is not a spa day or lunch out with friends, a day on the golf course or shopping because we are asking others to labor on our behalf.

     Have you developed a rhythm of rest, ceasing labor, and trusting in God’s provision?

–The rhythm of worship.

     Church is a part of the rhythm of worship. God designed the tabernacle right after the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt and guided to the Promised Land. Once settled, they continued to assemble for worship. Eventually a temple was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem.

     Christians are to gather for worship as well. We meet to listen to a pastor/teacher so we will be equipped to do the work of the ministry. We learn how to apply Scripture so that we become servants like Jesus Christ and spread the gospel to all the world making disciples. The local church is also a place where believers exhort and encourage one another.

     “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 NLT

     Communion, also taken at church, is a key element of the rhythm of worship. Jesus initiated it at the Passover meal the night before his crucifixion. He broke bread into pieces symbolizing His body and took a cup of wine symbolizing His blood poured out as a sacrifice and shared it with His disciples. He commanded, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

     I see that my rhythm is work heavy and void of Sabbath. Therefore, I plan to adjust. How is your schedule? If you have wandered like I have I hope you will join me in establishing godly rhythms of work, rest, and worship.

Image from Pixabay

©2024 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved

Resources:

1-“7 Feasts, Finding Christ in the Sacred Celebrations of the Old Testament” by Erin Davis. Published by Moody Publishers, Chicago.

2-“Ten Words to Live By, Delighting in and Doing What God Commands” by Jen Wilkin. Published by Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois.

     I began writing this message from a Starbuck’s in Watsonville where my husband and I came to check email and Facebook group messages on our computers while vacationing at a campground near Sunset Beach. The town was only a few miles from our campsite. The straight, heavily patched roadways leading to a population center with the promise of a coffeehouse were flanked by crops with groups of farmworkers hunched over plants plucking strawberries.

In one field a large Mexican flag unfurled in the wind. And many shops in Watsonville featured Hispanic products. The cultural makeup of the area was recognizable. Cities, towns, and communities across America often reflect the population that lives there.

Will heaven reflect a righteous and holy people dedicated to God? Most assuredly! But we are to reflect heaven on earth, just as the people of Mexican heritage reflect their background in Watsonville. They are not in Mexico, yet their roots are obvious. Those of us who are in Christ are citizens of heaven [Philippians 3:20]. We don’t presently live there, but rather than blend with the world we look different because we reflect our heavenly Father.

The Israelites were chosen to represent God to all nations and at times they stood out but often they began to reflect the culture of other people who inhabited the land. Christians are chosen too.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 ESV

Do people know we are children of God? Do we reflect our family heritage?

A lot of the music on the sound system in this Watsonville Starbucks were songs sung in Spanish. Is our language that of a Christian, does our language reflect our culture? I am not speaking of what many refer to as “Christianese” which are concepts of Christianity such as being “born again” or experiencing “regeneration.” But the words we choose when interacting with people. Words that are beneficial to all who are listening [Ephesians 4:29]; words that are pleasant to hear [Ephesians 5:19-21].

Sometimes the clothing we wear is indicative of our culture. Several years ago, I went on a mission trip to India and the organization supervising the work asked all participants to dress in culturally appropriate attire. Women wore long skirts and loose blouses in Indian prints and even traditional dress such as sarees.

What do citizens of heaven wear? We clothe ourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. The apostle Peter tells us “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.” [1 Peter 3:3] Instead, “Clothe yourselves with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” [1 Peter 3:4]

We pick up the attributes of those we are closest to as well. If our culture shows respect for the elderly, we will be patient with those who are advanced in age. Time spent in God’s Word and in His presence will result in a greater likeness through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” [2 Corinthians 3:18b]

I didn’t expect the Holy Spirit to deliver a lesson as we drove the streets of Watsonville looking for a coffeehouse. But sometimes the best lessons are unexpected.

©2024 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved

Let’s Talk

1-What can you add to my thoughts on how we reveal to the world we are citizens of heaven? Leave a comment!

2-Share an unexpected lesson you received from the Holy Spirit.