We often seek satisfaction in earthly things, in earthly pleasures when God offers us a much deeper, much more enduring joy through the gospel.

In the past two weeks, we have thought about how Christmas manifests hope and peace and how hope and peace actually come from God.

The message of Christmas confronts a hopeless, anxious, and chaotic world that is filled with darkness and despair.

Joy is another characteristic that is highly sought after in the world. But it’s elusive to actually experience the fullness of it. Like hope and peace, the world tends to look for a lesser joy in the wrong places where it cannot be found.

My desire is that we will see only in the gospel of Jesus Christ can we find deep and lasting joy. We want something to stand upon. Something that’s not dependent upon the circumstances of our lives.

Life is really hard when we ride the roller coaster, the ups and downs of circumstances and things that happen to us—good things and bad things. Life is difficult then. We want to find something more enduring and lasting.

God has offered us the holiday at sea.

The question is: Will we look beyond the mud pies to a true heavenly joy that comes from God?

~~~