…the joy of the LORD is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10b)
I remember once, we had a speaker at church who asked us, “Do you still have a tear in the corner of your eye for the things of the Lord?” Have we become so complacent that we no longer have a tear of joy in the corner of our eye when we see Christ at work? The Bible talks about how Heaven rejoices when one person comes to the Lord (Luke 15:7). Joy is part of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). The joy of the Lord is… “Strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Growing up you probably heard the acrostic “J.O.Y.” – Jesus first, others second and yourself last. If we are truthful with each other, it is all about US most of the time: what we want, what we need, what we desire, our rights and the “why me” concept that we have bought into. We tend to put ourselves first, others second and Jesus last, and we wonder why we do not have joy in our lives anymore.
If we have established our hearts (James 5:8), and focus on putting Christ first, we then will have a heart to serve others and the joy will be in our hearts once again (Mark 10:45).
We are in a unique position today to show joy to others. Life around us is falling apart. The economy is failing, jobs are being lost, children are involved in things we never thought we would see, and there are wars, earthquakes, floods and disasters all around us. And yet we can have the JOY of the Lord in our hearts even though we have experienced some tragedy or disappointment ourselves.
I am sure that you know of someone in your life who you would consider as an example, someone who has real joy. Someone that you like to be around even when the chips are down, because they seem to have a certain something or a certain joy that you want. They might be the same someone that when you have good news to share, you just can’t wait to tell them because you know they will be truly excited along with you. We need to be that same example to all who are around us.
The JOY that comes from Him is OUR strength. When we are weak, He is strong. Has the joy left your heart, have your tears dried up? Remind yourself that joy comes from the Lord and He is your strength today. Open your eyes wide and look for the work He is completing in front of you. Get those tears of joy flowing once again. Get the joy deep in your heart.
Lynn A. Wilson
Written by Lynn Wilson: Lynn is a full-time working mom and wife. She lives and works at America’s Keswick for over 20 years with her family. Lynn and her husband have served as a team in ministry and have a heart to see the Lord’s people rise up and serve in their local church, In addition….Lynn is a speaker for women’s events and conferences.
Think About This: “Faith is living in light of what God has said, resting in what he has done, and entrusting the future to his care.” ―
