Luke 1:36-45 - Relationship and Fellowship

In Luke 1:36-56 we find three people that are experiencing real genuine joy! It is interesting that today in America we are hearing from a political party promising to bring us joy. Everyone can rejoice and be happy, because they are going to give us financial prosperity, give us housing, bring down food prices and bring down violence and crime. My friend let me remind you that real joy will never come from a political party, from a president in the White House, or anyone else on earth for that matter. Real joy can only come from knowing and experiencing Jesus Christ.   This is exactly what happened in this section of Scripture with Mary, Elizabeth, and John in the womb. Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John when Mary shows up at her door with the Christ Child in her womb. And Elizabeth rejoices and says in verse 44, “For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”  Amazing, the baby in the womb heard the voice of Mary and sensed the presence of Jesus in the womb of Mary and he leaped for joy.   This is why we believe a baby is a human being from the moment of conception and deserves the right to live! Even in the womb, John could hear and respond with the emotion of joy! All three of these persons experienced joy because Jesus is present! In Luke 2:10, the angel proclaimed to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”  Yes, great joy can be ours when we have a personal and genuine relationship with Jesus Christ!   This also reminds me of the writings of the Apostle John. In John 20:30-31 he writes, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” Remember Luke is writing his Gospel to assure his friend Theophilos that Jesus is a very real person, who lived in a very real time, and did very real miracles proving that He was indeed the Son of God.   In 1 John 1:3-4, John wrote, “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”  Life and Joy are synonymous! The emotion of joy fills our hearts and minds when we experience the life of Jesus Christ through His shed blood on the cross. (1 John 2:2; 4:10)   John writes in his epistle that to have this joy we need to know and be assured that we have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and that we are living in fellowship with Him. At the end of the epistle repeats this emphasis. “ And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:11-13).   Joy will not come because you have money, the right boyfriend or girlfriend, the right husband or wife, or the right kids, or the right job, the right friends, the right house, the right car, or the right religion or the right anything for that matter! Genuine joy and life only come because you know that you have a right relationship with Jesus Christ and are experiencing intimate fellowship with Him.   Today, do you have this relationship and fellowship with Jesus Christ?   God bless!