Session 3

How to extend your holiday high

From Ecclesiastes: A 20-Day Devotional

After much anticipation leading up to it, Christmas has again come to an end. The trees are dismantled, the ornaments carefully packed away, the twinkling lights stashed as we return to normal schedules. As the shopping bills arrive and families scatter back to their homes has your holiday joy faded? Or altogether disappeared?

It's easy to get caught up in seeking pleasure in gifts and festive gatherings. But, if we aren't careful we will find ourselves seeking joy in all the wrong places, just as Solomon once did. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 lists all the ways Solomon tried to bring joy to his life: wine, entertainment, large buildings and wealth. But, even all this could not fill the void in his soul. “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless”  (Ecclesiastes 2:11). Solomon had all the world could offer as far as pleasure is concerned but still felt empty inside.

Jesus will give us a joy that can sustain us in any season. 

As the new year approaches, consider where you look for joy. Everlasting joy can only come from Christ. “And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressive and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8). Glorious joy can be cherished throughout the year—not just experienced with holidays. If we seek Jesus, He will give us a joy that can sustain any season.

Reflect:

• How are you seeking joy? Is there anything you seek pleasure in that interferes with your relationship with Jesus?
• Spending time with Jesus by reading the Bible and praying is a great way to increase your joy. How often do you spend time with Him in that way?
• What is one thing you need to change in your routine to spend more time with Jesus and seek your joy in Him rather than the fleeting pleasures the world provides?