October 8: JOY

Believe it:

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Live it:

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.
1. Joy is natural for the Christian. Joy is more than happiness, more than contentment. Joy runs much deeper. It is a result of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life. As with peace, the world has tried to invent a substitute for joy. But real joy is “the joy of the Lord.”
2. Joy does not come from the outside. What is the joy of the Lord? If we’re honest with ourselves, there are many reasons not to be joyful. It seems that there is a shortage of joy. Outside of ourselves, we see many tribulations and problems. But the joy of the Lord focuses us on God and His power. Where is your focus?
3. Joy helps your emotions. Today’s text mentions various positive consequences of having the joy of the Lord. Strength is one of the most important ones. Strength is the capacity to remain steadfast, even though your world may appear to be crumbling around you. This steadfastness does not come from a bottle of pills or the counselor’s office. It comes from Jesus Christ.

Share it:

Today try to smile at people. When they ask why (and they will) just tell them God has been good.

My prayer today: for the children who will attend the meetings

-Pray that God will help them understand the messages each night, making decisions to follow Jesus as their Savior and leader.

-Pray that God will cause many families to attend, bringing with them their children.

from God’s City, My City