Verses for the Day: Nehemiah 8:10
THE JOY OF THE LORD
KJV: ...the joy of the Lord is your strength.
AMP: ...the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.
NCV: ...the joy of the Lord will make you strong.
Dorothy:
To understand what this is about, Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the King Xerxes, the Queen Esther's husband at Susa, the Persian Empire. Nehemiah felt burden to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the damaged walls. The King gave permission for Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and the walls were rebuilt.
Ezra was reading the book of the law of Moses to the people who came together. When the people heard and understood the Word of God, they felt a deep conviction of sin and guilt. They bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. [Neh.8:6,9]. Nehemiah encouraged the people not to continue to weep or be sorry. Instead, to turn to joy of the Lord so they may received strength from the Lord. It was a great day of celebration because the wall was finished [Neh.6:15}.
What does this applies to us?
This "joy of the Lord" is based on reconciliation with God and the presence of the Spirit in our lives. We have the assurance that Christ has forgave our sins and we were restored [give back from something taken] to fellowship with God, and that we now live in harmony with His will [Neh. 8:10-13; *Luke 7:50]. [*Jesus said to her, "Because you believe, you are saved from your sins. Go in peace."
What does this means to us?
If we don't have the joy of the Lord, what becomes of us? Sad? Dead feelings? Drained strength. Tired feelings? This isn't a good testimony for a Christian to have. This is the reason we have the Holy Spirit to keep us in touch with God, and keep in touch with God's Word. Satan hates the "joy of the Lord" because it gives us strength. His goal is to destroy the "joy" because he knows it is a powerful stuff. I pray that we keep in touch with Holy Spirit in Jesus' name. Amen. It is great to memorize the song that will help us to remember where the strength comes from.
Song: The Joy of the Lord [Neh.8:10]
The joy of the Lord is thy strength and He is thy life.
The joy of the Lord is thy strength and He is thy life.
He giveth us the victory
when our hearts are filled with praise to thee.
The joy of the Lord is thy strength and He is thy life.
[Collection song]
