Nehemiah
8:10
Even
in times of despair, heartbreak and frustration you have a reason to celebrate…
Whenever you feel down, your pick-me-up can be found in knowing that “the
joy of the Lord is your strength…” When you go through things don’t fret because
your weakness will open the door for God to display His strength. When you are
faced with a daunting task, don’t give room to the debilitating fear that lurks
because the joy of the Lord is your strength… We all have fallen short or
missed the mark which was the case at the time of this word being recorded in
the book of Nehemiah. You can take courage and find peace today in knowing that
you will have provisions, protection and prosperity through the good and
perfect gifts which only come from above. Even though we don’t like to make
mistakes or mess up from time to time, in reading this passage we know that we
as well as the people of that particular time should be overjoyed because God’s
word has convicted them and paved the way to repentance… Today we mourn for Jesus, but we are overjoyed at the offering He
poured out on Calvary knowing and believing that Salvation was made possible by
His death and believing that He now sits at the right hand of the father with
all power in His hand… Now is the time for us to build upon that
foundation. We understand that God has paid the penalty of sin on our behalf;
we understand that God has delivered us from captivity, now we must put our
faith into action by living a life that pleases the Lord… Nehemiah writes today
of the desire of the Lord for those who acknowledge Him… This passage of
scriptures takes place at a point and time when the children of God are coming
back together after being scattered and oppressed. The wall of Jerusalem had
been destroyed previously and they have just begun to rebuild their respective
lives. Ezra the priest has located the scroll of the Lord and in this chapter
has read the word of God to the people. At hearing the word of God, the people
begin to mourn for all the wrong they had down and felt the convictions of their
actions. Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites are teaching the people of God that
they need to listen to the word and be happy because God has given them a
chance to live and turn over a new leaf. I believe that we to have felt the
conviction of the word of God knowing that our sins placed Jesus on the cross.
We mourn daily, knowing that we were just as guilty as Judas because we too
have betrayed the Lord. Nehemiah is saying today that God loves your
convictions, but desires for you to turn to Him… Nehemiah tells the people that
they are to celebrate; they are to give thanks to God because the word of the
Lord has been found and instilled in their hearts. We too should be thankful
that while we were lost, God didn’t close the door, while we were concerned
about our own agendas, God was still concerned about us. Nehemiah says, “Neither
be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength…” Remember when Jesus
was crucified, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and didn’t find His body, she
began to mourn and Jesus approached her and asked her why she was crying… Sure,
we have fallen short, we have messed up, we have strayed away but now that we
are back with the father, now that we are in lock-step with the Lord, now that
the lost sheep has been found, we should find joy in the strength of the Lord. Let people talk about your past while you
allow God to lead you to your future. Sure we have been down, but now we
are up. Sure, we were lost, but now we are found. Sure, our fate was sealed,
but God has wiped the slate clean… Like Nehemiah said to the Israelites, “…go
your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet… neither be ye sorry, for the joy of
the Lord is your strength…” We have a whole lot to be thankful for, our
blessings outweigh our trials…. Praise be to God, for your battle has already
been won…
BE BLESSED!!!
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