Thursday, 28 October 2021
THE JOY OF THE LORD
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Our God is so gracious and kind; think about what we just read! The children of Israel were in sadness, weeping because they hadn’t quite obeyed God. But while they were weeping and repenting, the Lord said to them, “Go and celebrate, for this day which you’ve assembled to hear my Word is holy; don’t be sorry, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Hallelujah!
The eleventh and twelfth verses say, “So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions…” Now, it’s not about the eating and the drinking, for the Bible says, “…the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). It’s about the joy you have in Him through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we’ve now received the atonement (Romans 5:11).
In Nehemiah 12:43, when they had built the walls of Jerusalem and it was time for them to celebrate, the Bible says, “Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.” Wow! 1 Peter 1:8 calls our joy “indescribable and full of glory.” Their joy was heard afar off! They were exuberant with joy and rejoicing.
In spite of the terrible things happening in the world today, you can be full of joy every day and express it lavishly. Celebrate the Lord — His greatness, goodness, love, grace and mercies — every day, like you’ve never done before. Give no place to gloom in your life. Joy is a fruit of your recreated human spirit; so, always release it from within you. Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). Glory to God!
CONFESSION: I’m ever joyful and exuberant with praise, because the joy of the Lord is my strength. My joy is independent of circumstances; it comes from my inner man and transcends physical circumstances. My joy is permanent, and it keeps me strong and alive. Glory to God!
FURTHER STUDY:
Isaiah 12:3; Galatians 5:22; 1 Peter 1:7-8
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 2 Timothy 4:1-22 & Jeremiah 26-28
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: John 8:12-21 & 2 Kings 19-20