LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Friday 24th December 2021
GREAT JOY
Scripture Reading: Matthew 2
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. Matthew 2:10
The wisemen were so elated to see the unusual star in the sky. While they were with Herod, they did not see the star. The travelers from the East might have wondered whether they had lost the guiding star permanently. However, when they left Herod’s palace, the Lord continued to lead them till they got to where the Infant King lived with his earthly parents.
We can think of the joy of the wisemen in three ways.
• The joy of finding Christ Anyone who has given their life to the Lord, experiences the joy of salvation. This is how someone described how he felt the day he gave his life to Christ. He said, ‘I felt like singing; the sky was bluer, the grass was greener, and my heart was full’.
God wants each of us to experience this kind of joy: when the burden of sin is taken away and all things are made new. He gives us a fresh start when He comes into our lives so we can walk with Him and live for Him. There is great joy in finding our way to the Lord Jesus Christ.
• The joy of following the Lord. Living for Christ is a joyful life. The old chorus says ‘it is a great thing to serve the Lord’. Serving God completes our lives. We find purpose and direction in life when we follow Him. Every human being will at some point ask where they fit in this life and what their purpose for being is. It is when we follow the Lord that we find answers to these questions that resound in our hearts.
When you know that you are contributing to something significant in God’s purposes on earth, it brings fulfillment and deep satisfaction. This is the great benefit that awaits those that live their lives in service to the Lord.
• The joy of God’s presence. Knowing that the Lord is with us gives us inner peace. For a moment, the star disappeared and the wisemen may have thought they had lost direction. How were they going to find their way to the baby Jesus now? But then, the star reappeared and they were overjoyed.
There will be moments in our lives when we feel God has left us. But His commitment to us endures. He will never leave us. When we continue to read God’s word, His voice becomes clearer to us so that whether in low or high moments in our lives, we can rejoice in the assurance that His presence is with us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am thankful that you revealed your Son to me. Thank you for the joy of following and serving you. In Jesus’ name, Amen