Everyone wants to be happy, but what we really need is inner delight that is unaffected by circumstances and satisfies the appetite of our soul. Not run of the mill joy, nor even the best joy from the best Earth has to offer, but a different kind of joy. The good news is that there’s a joy that is not subject to the law of diminishing returns. It is available to every person on the planet, and it is found in Jesus Christ alone. Matthew 13:44: describes the 4 ways to find eternal joy in Jesus.

Jesus was and is the most joyful person who has ever lived. Do you want more joy in your life? Of course you do! According to Jesus, the path to more joy is by celebrating who he is and what he has accomplished on your behalf. Luke 10:17-24 contains four instructions from the Lord on what to specifically celebrate.

Are you suffering in some way? Is your body breaking down? Are you struggling with the pain of some sort of mental illness? Have you experienced a loss that just feels impossible to get over? Are regrets haunting you? The amazing reality of the Christian life is that we can celebrate even through suffering. The distress of the world cannot steal our joy. Romans 5:1-11 contains three reasons to rejoice in the midst of your pain.

We Christians should smile a lot. You can have joy and not smile, but a smile is the hallmark of a joyful person. So why should you smile a lot as a Christian? While there’s joy in a lot of things and a lot of people, there’s a different level of joy, a different kind of joy, in being a Christian. There’s joy that you can’t get from the world. It only comes from following Jesus. Psalm 16 contains six of those joys.

There is some joy in getting Christmas gifts. There is probably more joy in giving gifts. And there is more joy in just being together with the people you love. But Christmas is about so much more than human beings exchanging presents. It’s about more even than the love of family and friends. It’s about Jesus Christ. In the story of his birth in Luke 2:1-14, there are three reasons we can find great joy in him.