Experiencing True Christmas Joy Through Giving and Obedience

Summary

True Christmas joy is not found in decorations or traditions but in obediently serving Christ and giving for God’s purposes. Through global ministry partnerships, evangelism, discipleship, and sacrificial living, the author testifies to deep, lasting joy that flows from seeing God use ordinary faithfulness to make an eternal difference. This Christ-centered joy can be experienced every day, regardless of whether Christmas trimmings accompany it.

I write these words overflowing with gratitude for all God has done through my ministry team members in 2024. My joy has nothing to do with gifts under the tree, Christmas carols, or the usual Yuletide cheer most people pursue during the last month of the year. Let me explain.

Gratitude Beyond Traditional Christmas Joy

I am part of a team of ministry partners in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, and a few in the United States that God has used to accomplish His will in the aforementioned African countries and elsewhere.

Fruitful Ministry Through Global Partnership

Fruitful Ministry Through Global Partnership

In the last four years, He has used our combined efforts to teach 18,100 people how to follow Jesus, lead more than 7,500 of them to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and supply more than 14,300 Bibles in Chichewa to people who could not afford one.

My brothers are part of the team, eagerly and generously financing African and Facebook outreaches. There is great joy in doing it together! In the last six years, more than 70 million people have seen our boosted Facebook post, “Jesus is Lord,” and other boosted posts, with as many as 100,000 seeing it in a single day.

Reaching Millions Through Writing and Outreach

More than 8 million people have engaged with these posts. Only eternity will reveal how our Spirit-inspired and empowered writing and giving impacted lives for God’s Kingdom and how those touches blessed others in an ongoing ripple effect.

Free Resources That Build God’s Church

Two websites now provide free evangelistic, discipleship, and leadership development resources. Combined, they have more than 2,000 visitors each month.

My joy overflows because God has used my gifts and abilities to build His church. There is no better feeling than God using us to make an eternal difference in others’ lives and knowing our living has not been in vain. I am unspeakably grateful.

The everyday joy we experience springs from giving, not getting. Jesus’ joy wells up in our hearts (John 15:11) because we obediently and fruitfully follow Him by practically loving others, most of whom we won’t see this side of eternity.

Redefining Christmas Without the Trimmings

My neighbors might think I hate Christmas. Unlike many, we have no outside Christmas decorations. No string of lights attached to the house, inflated Santa Clauses, elves, reindeer, or anything else.

Inside the house, we have five large Christmas stockings hanging from the mantle, several electric candles on the mantle, two wreaths, and little else. We have not had a Christmas tree for years. Those decorations have little to do with the real meaning of Christmas.

God’s greatest of all Christmas presents was His Son, born in Bethlehem to die in Jerusalem. We receive that gift best when we put on the Lord Jesus Christ and live for Him who died for us (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Living for Jesus expresses itself in sacrificial giving to benefit others. Experiencing Jesus working through us produces joy, which is ocean-deep contentment, serenity, and peace.

Experiencing True Christmas Joy

You can’t buy that joy anywhere. You get it by giving yourself as a living sacrifice to achieve God’s purpose for your life (Romans 12:1). You, too, can be experiencing true Christmas joy every day with none of the trimmings!

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