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This year marks fifty years of my Christian conversion and journey. I am deeply grateful for God’s sustaining grace and for everyone who has poured into my spiritual growth. In my early Christian walk, I faced many ups and downs, but as I embraced my faith seriously, I grew in my understanding of God and His Word. I came to experience what Scripture calls the joy of salvation.
As believers, we know this joy when we understand that our sins are fully forgiven in Christ. Salvation, rooted in our personal relationship with God, grants us eternal life and unwavering hope. No matter what happens—even in the face of death—we have the assurance that God is with us forever. This deep, abiding joy comes from knowing we are His children (John 1:12), dearly loved and cherished.
This joy of salvation is so transformative that it compels us to share it. The Samaritan woman, after encountering Jesus, testified to her entire town, “Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’” (John 4:39, NLT). The Thessalonian believers became models of faith to the whole region (1 Thessalonians 1:7-10).
Yet, there are times when we may not experience this joy. Several things can rob us of it. Firstly, sin distances us from God. David’s sin left him feeling far from God, and he cried out for the joy of salvation to be restored (Psalm 51:12). Secondly, unforgiveness weighs down the heart. When we hold on to grudges, bitterness quenches our spirit and steals our joy. Thirdly, focusing on circumstances rather than on God’s promises shifts our hearts from faith to worry and anxiety, and displaces joy with fear. Fourthly, complacency in our Christian discipleship journey can cause us to give up joy for the temporal desires of the flesh (1 Corinthians 3:3).
The joy of salvation is not circumstantial—it is anchored in the unchanging truth that we are saved, loved and forgiven by God. And this joy comes to us this season as we celebrate the first advent of Christ:
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’” – Luke 2:10-11, NIV
Wishing you and your loved ones the fullness of His joy. Blessed Christmas!
Lam Kok Hiang
Leadership Mentor
我自从蒙恩得救一路走来，今年刚满五十周年。我满心感恩，即为着 神恒常的恩典，也为着所有曾倾注生命帮助我属灵生命成长的主内弟兄姊妹。我初信主时也曾跌跌撞撞；一旦认真持守信仰，我才逐渐认识 神和祂的道，以至经历圣经里所说的救恩之乐。
作为信徒，我们因接受基督过犯得以赦免而获得这喜乐。这救恩使我们与 神和好，使(凡信耶稣基督之名的)人承受永生和永不动摇的盼望。无论发生什么—甚至死亡— 神应许永不离弃我们。我们因信基督成为 神的儿女(约翰福音1:12)，蒙 神所眷爱，这便是我们内在喜乐的根源。
凡生命因此而改变的人自然而然地想分享这份救恩的喜悦。圣经记载一名撒玛利亚妇人既遇见耶稣就把这事传遍了全城。圣经说：“因着那妇人作见证的话：‘祂把我所作的一切都说出来了’，那城里就有许多撒玛利亚人信了耶稣”(约翰福音4:39)。圣经也记载帖撒罗尼迦的信徒把主耶稣的道传遍了马其顿和亚该亚地区(帖撒罗尼迦前书1:7-10)。
然而，我们有时不再拥有这份喜乐,仿佛被什么剥夺了。首先，罪使人与 神隔绝。大卫曾因罪自觉远离 神，他呼求 神使他重新获得救恩的喜乐(诗篇51:12)。其次，怨恨会拖垮人。当我们无法原谅别人，苦毒便剥夺我们的喜乐。第三，我们若单凭眼见胜过信靠 神的应许，难免陷入忧虑，以恐惧取代喜乐。第四，我们如果自诩属灵生命与成就胜过众人，就可能偏向属肉体的计较纷争(哥林多前书3:3)过于喜乐。
救恩的喜乐不在乎现况，而是基于不变的真理—我们已蒙救赎、蒙 神赦免，已是 神所爱的儿女。适逢佳节，愿 神的平安喜乐归于世人如同当初迎接基督的降临：
“天使说：‘不要怕！看哪！我报给你们大喜的信息，是关于万民的： 今天在大卫的城里，为你们生了救主，就是主基督’”(路加福音2:10-11)。
愿 神的喜乐归于您。圣诞蒙恩！
蓝国贤
会务导师
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