DAY NINE: Chasing Joy

DAY NINE: CHASING JOY

Today…I will chase after JOY.

Maybe that sounds like my theology is bad. Maybe that sounds like I’ve got my priorities mixed up.

But my JOY is my JESUS.

They can’t be separated.

Psalms 16:22 tells us it is in HIS PRESENCE there is JOY. AMEN!

Because there is nothing that can separate us from Him, JOY is inevitable, no matter what the day, week, or season may throw our way.

We are all chasing something: approval, retirement, stuff. And then we wind up wondering why we are tired and worn out. Not that it’s bad to have any of those things, but let’s chase Jesus and pick those things up on the way.

Chasing Jesus, chasing JOY, is anything but exhausting.

He’s exhilarating.

If that’s not the feeling you get, you’re chasing something other than Jesus.

Let this Christmas be different.

Let’s chase after the non-stop, never-ending, crazy-wonderful JOY Jesus brings. This is the very holiday we should be getting a little rowdy about!

Jesus came to Earth. He came to change EVERYTHING. He came for YOU.

Every outcome, the end of every person’s story, changed because He came.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of GREAT JOY that will be for all the people.”

Luke 2:10

You don’t need to wait until tomorrow to celebrate. If you didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, get your groggy smile, put on some worship music, and chase after that JOY.

You don’t need to wait until your finances are better or your spouse treats you kinder or your boss notices the extra work and long hours you’ve been putting in.

This JOY doesn’t depend on circumstances or how others treat you or even hormone levels.

Our theme is JOYFUL & TRIUMPHANT. To be triumphant means,

feeling or expressing jubilation after having won a victory or mastered a difficulty.

We’ve all mastered difficulty. Sometimes every single day.

So let’s show the world that we are chasing JOY, and there is reason to celebrate.

Let’s get our joy on.

Let’s be so outrageously joyful people raise their eyebrows and ask questions.

Let’s be contagious.

Let’s not just hear the bells on Christmas, let’s BE the bells.

Ring out in jubilation, bringing this dark world:

****PEACE that doesn’t even make sense ****

****HOPE that never dies****

****JOY inexpressible****

NO. MATTER. WHAT.

The song below may not be a Christmas song, but it’s guaranteed to get your joy jumpstarted!

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

Philippians 4:4-9 MSG