The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength

Do you face the impossible today? Is there some task, person, or thing that is threatening to overtake you? Are you afraid--of that situation or your reaction to it? Here's how you can find overcoming strength . . . .

Nehemiah faced a daunting task--to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 

1. He had to convince the king for whom he was cup bearer to give him a leave of absence, safe passage, and enough timber to build the wall (as well as beams for the gates of the palace and for the house that he would live in).
2. He had no building team--it had to be assembled. 
3. He couldn't just go to Lowe's or Home Depot to get his materials. They had to be brought in from the king's forest.
4. He faced opposition from difficult men who challenged him at every turn.

Yet, despite all of these difficulties, Nehemiah finished the wall in fifty-two days. How did he do it?

1. He trusted God to give him favor in the sight of Artaxerxes (the king for whom he was cup bearer) which resulted in his leave of absence, safe passage, and timber.
2. He conveyed his vision for the wall to the religious leaders in Jerusalem who helped him accomplish his God-given mission.
3. He overcame his enemies by keeping his eyes on his mission and letting God deal with them (Nehemiah 4:14).

And when his job was complete, Nehemiah spoke to the people of Israel:

"Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, 

and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared;

for this day is holy unto our Lord.

Neither be ye grieved;

for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

~ Nehemiah 8:10

So as you face the impossible today, keep these things in mind:  

1. Trust God to give you strength to do the work He's called you to do
2. Keep your eyes on the mission He has given you
3. Enlist others to help you
4. Do not let others keep you from doing the will of God
5. Rejoice when the work is done. 

The joy of the LORD is your strength.

The Promise of An End to Earthly Suffering. (And Then What?)

This morning, amid piles of furniture and clutter and dust, we cleared a spot in the living room and shared a bagel. Our house has been torn up for a week while installers finish the new floor. In the end, it will be worth it, but the days drag on.

Then I think of the Haitians who see no end to their displacement . . . or our neighbor who lies in bed waiting for an end to his suffering. What do you say to ease their pain? This, too, shall pass?

One way or the other, there will be an end to earthly suffering. And then what? 

For some, joy will come in the morning. But for those who haven't made peace with God, their future suffering will be far worse than anything they experienced on earth.

Brothers and sisters, forgive me for preaching . . . but we must not allow ourselves to become complacent where the souls of the lost are concerned. Like Noah, we must continue to tell an unbelieving world that judgment is coming . . . judgment that will make our earthly troubles seem as trivial as sharing a bagel in the living room. 
 
God's desire is that all should come to repentance. May we love the world even as He does!

The Promise of Joy!!!!

My friends, today I refer you to Susanne Lakin's wonderful post on the We CAN! blog at http://canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/2009/12/my-entry.html#more. The post is called "Zoom Out" and it offers helpful insights on a promise from Psalm 30:5 which says "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."

When do you find it hardest to believe that joy comes in the morning?

A Promise to Lift Your Spririts

They say that depression is highest around the holidays, especially Christmas. Having experienced a "low" over Thanksgiving, I now understand what a downer depression can be.

Could God ever want me to be depressed?
Then where does depression originate?
And what is the antidote for it?

Consider this: "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).

When we lack His joy, what can we do about it?
We can do what we always do when we fall short of something we need--draw on the Lord's never-ending supply. Whether that's love or wisdom or peace or . . . .

How do we do that?

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!
Ask in faith, believing!
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the darts of the enemy.
Remember: greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

Do you believe these things only in theory? Put them into practice.
Choose the joy of the Lord over the gloom and doom of the enemy.

The joy of the Lord is your strength!

A String of Selah Pearls - Psalm 49:14-15

Positioned gracefully across the Book of Psalms is a string of seventy-one pearls, lovely beads of wisdom followed by the admonition SELAH which means, “Pause, think on these things, meditate.”

Psalm 49:14-15 “Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem my soul from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah.”

Meditation:

This pearl repeats the futility of focusing on temporal things. Those “mansions” are all-too-soon enjoyed by other princes, the former residents rotting in the grave, like beasts of the field.

Aunt Virginia lived a modest life, but died a peaceful death. Having placed her faith in a trustworthy God, she had complete confidence in her eternal living arrangements. Yes, she suffered. Yes, we wept. But we endured our night of weeping knowing that joy was just around the bend.

A new day dawns for those who die in Christ. The King will say to them, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

What a day of rejoicing that will be . . . for some people. I can almost see Auntie, passing through the gates, eyes wide with amazement. “Oh, my! Oh, my!”

SELAH

Look up: Psalm 110; 30:5; 130:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:8;

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Luke 19:12-26; Matthew 25:31-34