Sunday, December 6, 2015

Rejoice Greatly

There have been a lot of things in the news lately that is depressing and we can wonder why God allows such evil things to happen? Many people are suffering the loss of a loved one because of terrorist acts in many parts of the world. Poverty, sickness, hate, and hunger are all around. It is easy to give in to these negative feelings and lose hope that we can find joy.

This is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ it is a time of happiness and joy. Satan is trying his best to destroy the joy of Christmas, and replace hope with despair; but we need to remember the scripture that tells us to “rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh” (Zachariah 9:9). We are the ones that determine how we feel. We must choose joy and hope over despair and hate. The prophet Isaiah wrote of the Savior’s birth when he said:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)


Video: A Savior is Born 

Christ is the Prince of Peace and he promises that he will give us his peace if we seek it. We do not need to be afraid of all that is going on in the world. If we seek the Christ child, we will find peace.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

One of the best ways we can find peace and joy is through service. Especially at this time of the year we need to follow the Savior’s example and serve. There are many opportunities to serve all around us. As we walk from store to store from work to our cars, wherever we go we can find those that might need a hug, a smile, a kind word, or someone to talk to. Be the person they are looking for. Even if we are the one that needs these things, if we will do something for someone else we will find our own sorrows and difficulties vanish away.

We have all seen the person standing on the corner with a sign saying they need some kind of help. Sometimes it is hard to know if they really need help or not. But there are many others that need help in one way or another that don’t carry a sign for all to see. They hid in plain sight the hurt, the depression, the loneliness that they are feeling. They may even go through the day with a smile for others that they meet but inside are screaming out for help. If we pray each day to have the prompting come when we meet someone that needs us, the promptings will come and when the spirit prompts follow it.

If we follow the Savior’s example of going about doing good, we will have the spirit of Christmas with us throughout the season and all year long. As we do this we will experience the joy of that holy night as never before.



Tiffany Alvord - O, Holy Night

It is my hope that you will rejoice greatly in the love that our Savior Jesus Christ has for us and that we will share that love with others that we meet as we go about our labors each day.

Your comments and questions are welcome. 

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