Exhuberate Inner Joy

One Christmas season I was meditating on a phrase from Colossians 3:4, "Christ, who is our life." Perhaps because it was party time and I was remembering that we speak of people who are the life of the party, I said with reverent, exuberant joy, "Christ, You are the life of my party." The inner joy I have through communion with Him is life--abundant life!

Life to the Hebrews meant joy, vitality, all that made life worth living. They used it much as we do when we say, "Get a life," or "That's really living!"

To the Old Testament writers, a man was living when God the Father approved everything he did. "In thy favour is life" (Psalm 30:5 KJV), wrote the psalmist.

Our communion with God fills us with His life when we joyfully surrender to Him. It's not enough to grudgingly obey the commands of God as a list of rules. "Life" is in doing what God says because we love Him and because our joy is in pleasing Him.

What joy, what contentment we have when all we do has this underlying message to our loving Lord: "I'm doing this because I love you!" All of life becomes holy and lived in the Holy Place.

Dear Jesus, my one desire is to please You. Thank You for the life I have because of the joy of Your presence.

"When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:4).