Spreading Joy Throughout the Christmas Season - The Crosswalk Devotional - December 17

Audio By Carbonatix

Spreading Joy Throughout the Christmas Season
By Lynette Kittle

Bible Reading:
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” - Luke 2:10

Great joy for all the people! What truly remarkable, good news for all of us down through the ages: an announcement thousands of years ago, still relevant today.

Yet, how many millions of people around the world are missing out on experiencing this great joy, not just at Christmas, but their entire lives?

How do we, like the angels, proclaim and spread this great joy throughout the Christmas season and all year round? What can we do to express it, share it, live it, and cultivate it in others’ lives, too?

Expressing, Sharing, Living, and Cultivating Joy

Because God calls us to joy, the following are four ways we can spread it while experiencing it for ourselves.

1. Express our joy. How do individuals express joy? Many smile, some laugh, others clap, and there are those who jump for joy.

Sadly, some Christians hold their joy in, perhaps feeling it on the inside, but it doesn’t make its way outward, causing some of the Christian sayings and critiques, such as “the frozen chosen.”

As a child, I loved singing the kids’ song, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy,” over and over again.

We would sing “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!” Then we would follow it by shouting “where” and then respond by singing in reply “Down in my heart.” Just singing it brought joy to us and those listening.

However we express joy, we want to make sure to let it out, so others might experience it too, and also to share the joyous message of Christmas that can be their own for a lifetime.

2. Share our joy. Many of us don’t realize that joy is spreadable - it’s contagious and easily passed from one person to another. Just as we can sing songs that get stuck in others’ heads when they hear us singing, so too can joy be shared with one another.

We can share joy simply by the way we look at the world, our situations, and those around us, letting the joy that comes from knowing God guide our words and actions. 

As Psalm 21:6 describes, “Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of Your presence.”

3. Live our joy. We can wake up in the morning with joy, even before anything has happened in our day yet. Before we even lift our heads from the pillows each morning, we can experience joy daily in our lives because the source of it is not ourselves, but God.

As Psalm 16:11 reminds us, “You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”

A way to live in God’s joy is described in John 15:11-12, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

4. Cultivate joy in others. If we ask, God will lead us to cultivate joy in the lives of those around us. We may not know how to nurture it in others, but God can show us how, because He knows what it takes to help it grow in those around us.

As Galatians 5:22 describes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Just the way we speak and interact with others gives us opportunities to cultivate joy in their lives by expressing, sharing, and living it out in our own.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Are you known for your joy? If not, take stock and ask God why not? See what’s holding you back from enjoying the great joy that is ours through Jesus Christ.

Further Reading:
Counting It All Joy Even Through the Hard Stuff

Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional encouraged or challenged you in your walk with Christ.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/evgenyatamanenko 

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com! 

Related Resource: 

Relationship tripwires. Mental health puzzles. Confusing work dynamics. You’re not the only one scratching your head. But now you have a secret decoder ring! Each episode of I Wish You Could Hear This is packed with proven, simple, and surprising secrets that help you thrive in life, faith, and relationships. Researchers Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn have spent decades interviewing and surveying more than 40,000 people to identify the little things that make a big difference in our lives. They’re Harvard-educated, Christian authors and speakers who also happen to be happily married, analytically minded, and a whole lot of fun! Join them and their guests for real stories, real help, and real hope. Like what you hear? Be sure to follow I Wish You Could Hear This on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!