Monday, December 23, 2019
The Wonder of
What God Has Done Through His Son:
An Advent Devotional Guide
I tell you that
in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who
repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:7
Usually when we think about joy, we are considering the things
that bring joy into our own lives, the lives of those in our family, or
to our church. In the passage above, the speaker is Jesus. The Pharisees are
muttering and grumbling that he seems to pay more attention to “sinners” than
to them, and he responds with the statement above.
The joy the Lord speaks of here is not ours but his! When
one person realizes his need for a Savior, Jesus says that there is great joy
in heaven! If we read this passage carefully, we realize that there is an absolute
celebration in heaven when one person comes to Christ!
Shouldn’t that prompt us to ask, “What are we doing to bring joy
to God, to Christ, to heaven?” How long has it been since we have introduced
someone to the Lord? How long has it been since we have verbally shared the
gospel – the good news – with another? Just before Jesus left this earth to go
home, he told the disciples to go into the whole world with his gospel, the
good news that he had come, lived, died, and been resurrected for the restoration
of mankind’s relationship with our heavenly Father.
Wouldn’t it be a great Christmas present to give to Jesus this year, to
share that lovely message with someone who doesn’t know that God loves them and
has a plan for their lives? Maybe we need to spend more time thinking about
bringing joy to Jesus than asking him to bring it to us!
Father, Help us speak the good news
clearly so that others may come to you and bring joy to you! Amen
The Wonder of What God Has Done Through His
Son:
An
Advent Devotional Guide
prepared for First United Methodist Church of Homosassa, Florida
Winter 2009
by Patience Nave, Christian Education Coordinator
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