The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10
In this famous verse Erza, a priest who God used to speak to the Israelites, tells them not to weep or mourn, but instead “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Later on in the same chapter it says, “and their joy was very great.” What was happening is that Erza was reading the “Book of the Law of God” to the Israelites and reminding them who their God was. What’s important here to note is that the Israelites were not perfect. They weren’t well behaved and they did drift away from time to time, they were simply just a group of people who were loved by God. When I think about my own personal circumstances I feel like many times my joy can drift depending on what is happening around me. Then I have to ask myself, like I’m asking you today, where does your joy come from? And be honest with yourself, it’s okay if it’s not the “right” answer. Maybe you find yourself being more joyful when your bank account is nice and plump, maybe when your relationship with your kids is going well and there are behaving, or when your partner does something really nice for you? Where does it come from? I think having those nice things happen for you can make your joy expand temporarily, but there has to be something stronger than a temporary joy. What happens when your partner does something that offends or hurts you? Or your children start skipping school and being a pain? Or you lose your job? Will you let those circumstances steal your joy? Or will you refocus onto the One who gives you the strength to make it through the hard times? God is always willing to refresh us if we choose to come to Him and make Him our priority. So todayI’m simply here to remind you, find your strength and joy on the only one that can sustain it, only then can you truly be used as a blessing to those around you, and only then will you be able to experience a more stable sense of contentment and peace. So fix your eyes on Jesus, and may the joy of the Lord be your strength.
God bless you and have a very blessed week ahead of you.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life 