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Luke 2:10-11 - Unconditional Joy.

Luke 2:9-10 (NLT) Suddenly, an angel of the 
Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the 
Lords glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 
10 but the angel reassured them. Dont be 
afraid! he said. I bring you good news that will 
bring great joy to all people. 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   In the pages of Scripture, its one of 
the most common opening statements for angels: 
Dont be afraid. Thats because when people 
saw angels, they were terrified. 
   When an angel appeared to the shepherds 
outside Bethlehem, he said, Dont be afraid! 
 I bring you good news that will bring great 
joy to all people (Luke 2:10 NLT). 
   In other words, This is good news that 
you need to know so you can have great joy. Even 
if you dont feel like it, rejoice, because 
your world just changed. 
   Sometimes we can be filled with fear 
because of the world in which were living. There 
are a lot of things happening today that can 
strike fear in our hearts. We also have personal 
fears about our jobs or our finances or our health 
or our families.  
   Are you worried right now? Are you filled 
with fear? The message of Christmas is dont be 
afraid; instead, have great joy. Fear is what 
Christmas came to remove so that we can have great 
joy. But the condition of that joy is to let go 
of our fears. 
   Ray Stedman pointed out that the chief 
mark of the Christian ought to be the absence of 
fear and the presence of joy. In fact, its 
that absence of fear and presence of joy that 
marks our genuine Christianity and proves that we 
really are what we claim to be. 
   Its a powerful testimony when 
Christians can rejoice, even in the midst of adversity. 
Can people look at us and tell that were true 
believers? 
   When Paul and Silas were thrown into 
prison for preaching the gospel, they were whipped 
and put into chains and stocks. There was no 
hope of their ever getting out. But the Bible 
tells us that around midnight Paul and Silas 
were praying and singing hymns to God, and the 
other prisoners were listening (Acts 16:25 
NLT). We could also translate the word 
listening as listening with pleasure. 
   When you hear one of your favorite songs, 
you look forward to hearing it again. These 
prisoners were listening with pleasure because 
theyd never heard anything quite like it. 
   Then, when an earthquake shook the 
foundations of the prison and the doors opened and the 
chains fell off the prisoners, the jailer knew it 
would be death for him if the prisoners got away. 
He was about to commit suicide when Paul called 
out, Stop! Dont kill yourself! We are all 
here! (verse 28 NLT). 
   The Roman jailer said, Sirs, what must 
I do to be saved? (verse 30 NLT). In other 
words, Ive been watching you, and I want what 
you have. 
   Joy is a magnet that God has given to 
believers. Nonbelievers have nothing like it. They have 
their moments of happiness, but that happiness 
completely depends on their circumstances. 
   When the Bible speaks of joy, however, it 
refers to something far deeper than that. Its an 
abiding joy that is independent of our 
circumstances. The joy that we experience in Christ can be 
ours, both in good times and in bad. [By Greg 
Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY

Galatians 5:22, 23 - JOY IN JESUS!

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220612-0911.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/