"This day
is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your
strength." Neh 8:10.
Joy and gladness
is a very necessary element in human well-being. One cannot live their best
life if sorrow and depression holds undisputed sway. There are three sources of
joy mentioned in this chapter.
First, they were
attentive, eager and understood the Divine Word of God and profited by it (Neh 8:3 & 5). We too must find delight
in God through His Word and let us not read it as a task, but dwell upon it,
until its beauties become woven into our thoughts and lives.
Second, they
communicated good things to those for whom nothing was prepared (Neh 8:10-12). There is no greater comfort for
ourselves as when we minister to others. Nehemiah could not have given better
advice than when he bid his people share their joys and sweets with those whose
lives were bare of comfort and luxuries.
Third, Our
Saviour gives us His joy (Neh 8:10 “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength”),
because He reveals the Father to us, makes us to rest in Him, and gives a
worthiness for our lives; He makes work light because He has appointed it,
sorrow supportable because He shares it, and death desirable because He has
opened the door of eternal life in the Father's Home. In His joy we may
participate (Jn 15:11; Jn
16:22).
Obedience, as
soon as they understood the words they heard, they began to put them into
practice. No wonder there was joy, for in the keeping of God's commandments
there is great reward. It was during the Feast of Tabernacles that our Lord
spoke of the Holy Spirit entering the heart to remove its thirst, and to pour
forth as rivers to a dying world (Jn 7:37-39).
We cannot do much apart from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Only through
Him can we be right with God; only through Him can we be glad; only through Him
can we pass on joy and comfort to others.
HSAY…Todd
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