Philippians 4:4-5 (VOICE)
Most of all, friends, always rejoice in the Lord! I never tire of saying it: Rejoice! Keep your gentle nature so that all people will know what it looks like to walk in His footsteps. The Lord is ever present with us.
Joy is a gift. It is a choice. It is the outpouring of Jesus. And as we follow Jesus, we get to share it with others. In Galatians 5 we learn that the fruit of the Spirit, the evidence of following Jesus, looks like love, joy and peace, among other gifts. The things we have been talking about for the last four weeks are the eternal gifts of God as we walk in his ways, and have relationship with him. Life with Jesus changes us. We no longer look like what the world expects, but we look like Jesus. This gives us opportunity to share with those around us what it looks like to walk with Him. And the everlasting joy that comes from knowing Him.
Isn’t that a gift you want to share this Christmas? Christmas can be a difficult season for a myriad of reasons, but when we know Jesus and trust him, we can trust that Love, Peace and Joy will never fail us and we can bring others that as well. Who is someone that you can share the gifts of Advent with this Christmas? Is there anyone you know that doesn’t have Christmas you can invite to your table?
Lectio Divina Practice
As you walk through the Lectio Divina today, read the scripture above and meditate on it, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal himself to you.
Family Moments
Read Philippians 4:4-5 together. Talk together about how joy is a gift that God gives us and how Christmas is a wonderful time to share that gift with others! Brainstorm together as a family some different ways that you can share that joy with others around you. Once you have made a list, pick one of them to do as a family together.