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

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

The Crosswalk Devotional updated banner logo

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

Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links


September 26 - Phoenix, AZ
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts


November 2 - Detroit, MI
Zion Christian Church in Troy


October 6 - Los Angeles, CA
Pasadena Convention Center


November 5 - San Antonio, TX
Norris Centers – The Grand Red Oak Ballroom


October 8 - Sacramento, CA
William Jessup University


November 7 - Tampa, FL
The Palladium at St. Pete College


October 22 - Minneapolis, MN
Crowne Plaza AiRE


November 15 - San Francisco, CA
Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley


October 23 - Philadelphia, PA
Green Valley Country Club


November 16 - Denver, CO
CU South Denver - Formerly Wildlife Experience


November 2 - Chicago, IL
Chicago Westin Northwest in Itasca


November 21 - Cleveland, OH
Holiday Inn Rockside in Independence



Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

Sponsored by:

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

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

The Crosswalk Devotional updated banner logo

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

Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links

On Air & Up Next

See the Full Program Guide