The joy of the Lord is your strength

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The joy of the Lord makes us strong”

Nehemiah was a civil servant and a leader among the people. At the time of Nehemiah chapter eight, he was in the destroyed city of Jerusalem attempting to lead a small group of Jews who had returned to rebuild the temple, the city, and the walls around the city. Ezra the priest was there assisting him. All of it was good, but none of it was returning the temple or the city to the splendor of the days of Solomon.

In chapter eight Nehemiah and Ezra had the people gathered for a day of worship and study from the Law of God, and for feasting and celebration. But as the people surveyed the rubble that still existed in much of the city, and they considered the rebuilt temple that was so much less than the Temple in Solomon’s day, and as they listened to the reading of the Law of God and they realized how disobedient the entire nation had been, they grieved. So, in 8:10 Nehemiah told them to knock that off, to be thankful for what the Lord had blessed them with, and to give thanks, celebrate, and draw strength from the joy of the Lord.

There’s a lesson in that for us. The joy of the Lord is based on the internal condition of our heart and not on the external circumstances we find ourselves in. It doesn’t come from outside circumstances and work its way in (that’s happiness, which is temporary and fleeting). Instead, it comes from the Holy Spirit living in our heart. That joy then works its way up and flows out of us to impact our circumstances. Let me say it again: the joy of the Lord doesn’t come from the outside and work its way in, it comes from the inside and works its way out. It’s an inside job not an outside one.

Please don’t allow your circumstances to have the final say on the condition of your heart. Don’t allow them to beat you down, destroy you, or to be the determining factor regarding how you think and how much you enjoy life.

The joy of the Lord in our heart makes us strong so we can deal effectively with the circumstances of life.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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