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The Joy of the Lord
““And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”” Nehemiah 8:10 ESV
There is no greater feeling than to both receive and reside in the joy of the Lord. When God is filled with joy from who we are becoming and what we are doing, we can receive perfect peace. For peace comes when a receptive party whom we admire and love is filled with joy. When they are disturbed or disappointed, that affects their joy. In return, that affects our peace. Why? Because we know we are not living or acting in the manner in which we should.
Happiness is temporal, but joy is eternal. Happiness comes from anything outside God. Joy comes directly from God.
Those who go in the way of wickedness shall never receive true joy. Amid the cloud of joy they shall receive raindrops of happiness. Happiness is of the world. Happiness is temporal, but joy is eternal. Happiness comes from anything outside God. Joy comes directly from God. Anyone can think they have joy, but true joy is everlasting. Not in how it is received or felt, but in Its Source.
When we are walking uprightly and humbly before the Creator of Heaven and earth, we can be endued with strength from On High. We can finish the race set before us, knowing that God’s smile is upon us.
When we become born again, we have the ability to continually live under the joy of the Lord. When we are walking uprightly and humbly before the Creator of Heaven and earth, we can be endued with strength from On High. We can finish the race set before us, knowing that God’s smile is upon us.
“The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish” (Proverbs 10:28 ESV). When our hope is in God, we don’t need to hope in men. When we desire to see God joyful because of the way we live, we are revealing that His opinion matters more than external pleasure. We come to understand that “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it” (Proverbs 15:16 ESV).
When we truly know the Might of God and walk in the fear of Him, His joy shall be upon us. Not that it is dependent upon us. Instead, God's joy is revealed to us when He sees us walking in the Way of the Word. God takes no pleasure in the ways of the wicked. Those who fear Him and live a life that desires to please Him, however, fills God with joy. Not because He lacks joy, but it is joy specifically directed to us. This joy, when it is confirmed by His Spirit Who lives within us, becomes our strength.
The more God’s Word and Way is neglected, strength decreases. This strength decreases because the way we are living is not producing the joy of the Lord towards us.
When we are walking in the ways of God, we can be strengthened by His Spirit. When we neglect to obey God’s Word and fail to go in the way in which He has declared, that strength becomes diminished. Overtime, the more God’s Word and Way is neglected, strength decreases. This strength decreases because the way we are living is not producing the joy of the Lord towards us.
When we know that we are not living in the fear of the Lord (which produces the joy of the Lord), the less power from God over sin and self we shall have.
When we know that we are not living in the fear of the Lord (which produces the joy of the Lord), the less power from God over sin and self we shall have. For the Holy Spirit flows only as much as the soul allows. If dams are blocking the streams of the soul from spiritual fulfillment in God alone, then spiritual power will begin to decrease.
God does not take man and make them born again by force. Rather, He blesses man with the freedom to choose Him or reject Him.
This is not because the Holy Spirit cannot break the dams of our soul, but because He is not a forceful Spirit. God will never force Himself upon us. He will never force us to obey Him, to submit to Him, to obey His Word, and to follow His will. God does not take man and make them born again by force. Rather, He blesses man with the freedom to choose Him or reject Him.
When we know the call of God, we have the freedom to accept and obey that call or ignore and dismiss it. The more we neglect, the more dams block the flowing streams directed towards the sea of our soul. Eventually, the Holy Spirit cannot get in because we have become too stubborn, lethargic, or careless towards God. When this occurs, our lifestyle begins to reflect what is taking place within.
A person who does not spend time with God becomes hardened towards the things of God. Someone who does not admit that they have become hardened towards God shall seek to make excuses behind their lifestyle and actions.
A person who does not spend time with God becomes hardened towards the things of God. Someone who does not admit that they have become hardened towards God shall seek to make excuses behind their lifestyle and actions. They will desire to live for the joy of themselves, which is no joy at all. Through this pursuit, they quickly come to understand that joy is not in living as one desires in all things. Rather, joy is found in submitting and surrendering to God all things.
The more of God’s Presence we have, the more joy we shall receive. The greater the joy of God is towards us, the more strength we will have to persevere.
“You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11 ESV). The more of God’s Presence we have, the more joy we shall receive. The greater the joy of God is towards us, the more strength we will have to persevere.
The greatest in the Kingdom of God are not those who did much. Rather, they are those who knew God as much as they could in this life.
For the greatest in the Kingdom of God are not those who did much. Rather, they are those who knew God as much as they could in this life. They sought to live by and for God. In return, the joy of the Lord was upon them. As they walked in the fear of God, they lived a life worth noting.
Those who suffer for doing good have the strength of God. God’s joy is towards them because the suffering is not based upon their own doing, but is permitted by God for a higher reasoning.
This is why the joy of the Lord is so important for our strength. “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17 ESV). Anyone can inflict great injury on themselves by going their own way. Those who suffer for doing good, however, have the strength of God. God’s joy is towards them because the suffering is not based upon their own doing, but is permitted by God for a higher reasoning.
When the joy of the Lord is towards us, we truly can endure all seasons. For we know that God is God and we are human. We know that the result of suffering and adversity is not from our own doing, but rather God’s permitting. Knowing this, gives us quiet assurance that the King of the Universe will not allow our present time to endure forever. There is a reason. There is hope. There is a purpose.
May we learn to “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11 ESV). May we be as David and declare, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 ESV).
When we are one with God, not in substance but in Spirit, we can receive and possess God’s joy. We can rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that they are producing eternal blessings (so long as we humbly endure them).
Christ said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11 ESV). When we are one with God, not in substance but in Spirit, we can receive and possess God’s joy. We can rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that they are producing eternal blessings (so long as we humbly endure them). For the joy of the Lord is our strength that shall see us through to the very end.
A joyful heart shall always come by way of following the Lord. A crushed spirit comes from enduring that which is self-inflicted.
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22 ESV). A joyful heart shall always come by way of following the Lord. A crushed spirit comes from enduring that which is self-inflicted. A crushed spirit is never satisfied with the things of this life. For if it were, it would cease from its pursuits of that which God gives or permits, but are used in a distorted way. For all pleasures become punishment when they are overindulged or used in the wrong manner.
The mark of a strong interior man or woman is revealed by the submission of their will to God. For if we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, His joy shall be towards us. Our strength shall be enhanced, and we shall endure anything and everything for the sake of Christ.
May we desire God above all. For it is only through Him that we can be strengthened in the interior life. For many may possess a strong exterior, but that is soon to fade. The one who is truly strong is able to control their passions and their desires. The mark of a strong interior man or woman is revealed by the submission of their will to God. For if we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, His joy shall be towards us. Our strength shall be enhanced, and we shall endure anything and everything for the sake of Christ.
O saints, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13 ESV). Learn to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4 ESV).
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, You are the Beam from Heaven that shines Thy Radiant Glory upon the faces of those who humbly look up in reverence and awe towards Thee. O Kind and Compassionate God, Who blesses those who repent and believe in Christ with His Spirit, may our lives reflect the Image of Your Son. May we live our lives worthy of the call. God, protect us under the shadow of Thy Wing. Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. May we follow in the footsteps of our King. O Great Counselor, lead us by Your Spirit and keep our eyes upon You. Touch us with Divine healing and strengthen our inner temples. May the Peace of the Spirit forever be with us, as we walk in the fear of You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lance VanTine