Real Joy Comes From The Lord

Psalm 118:24 (New International Version)
24 This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Fresh New Day
“Today, life begins anew. Today, you are blessed with fresh, new opportunity.
You can build on the best of what has been. You can look clearly and objectively at the limitations that have held you back, and find new ways to transcend them.
Today, you can make amazing progress. Today, you can reach higher than you've ever reached before.

All your mistakes are behind you, and you've learned much from each one. All your experience is still with you, and you can use it in innovative new ways.
This day has begun, and with it comes your chance to make a difference. In these moments you can bring your dreams to life.

From deep within your purpose, look out and see all the great possibilities. This is a day that's now here for you to live more richly than ever”
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-- Ralph Marston (Sent to me last night by a dear friend – Tracie)


Today is very special. Every single chronological day is ushered in anew by the Lord. God gives it to us as His gift. God has invested our lives with 24 hours. What a privilege. What a responsibility. What an opportunity. To live in the now! We shouldn’t be content to look back to yesterday. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be just engaged in what’s ahead. We need to thank God for the past and live in the hope of the future. But God wants us to live today with the assurance that this is His day given to us. As bland or as difficult as it may seem, it is a very special day for all of us.

The sovereign Lord is with us in this day. Have you ever really thought about that fact? I know you’ve heard it before. Have you really stopped to think about its implications? This is not only a great day. “This is the day the Lord has made. . . .”

He is sovereign. He is in charge. No matter how discouraging life may seem we are not alone. We didn’t stumble into this day. This day is not an accident. The very God who created us, the very Christ who has redeemed us, the very Holy Spirit who sustains us—these three manifestations of the Lord are engaged in helping us make the most of this day.

We are to be a people filled with joy. This is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, joy and gladness are specifically and consistently related to the whole life of Israel and the church. Joy is not an isolated or occasional consequence of faith. It is an integral part of the whole relationship we are privileged to have with God. The Holy Spirit produces this enthusiasm. We live in the presence of God. We don’t produce your own joy. It is the joy of the Lord. Our joy is not in our strength. It is in His strength. Our joy is not in our cleverness. It is in His wisdom. Our joy is not in the connections we have here on earth. It is in His divine empowerment. Our joy is not in the money we’ve accumulated. It is in His provision.

We have the right to be joyful. God is the one who produces this kind of joy. It’s not the joy of denial. It’s the reality of knowing that the almighty God is there helping us.

God makes us joyful for a reason. He wants us to be a joyful person, not primarily for our own desires, which is a indirect blessing. He wants us to be joyful for others. The direct purpose of our being joyful person is that only a joyful person can bring joy to other people. If we are a sad, downcast, complaining, miserable person, we will convey these same attitudes toward others. An un-joyful person is a nuisance and throws a wet blanket. Some of us do it and think we are being “spiritual.” Where in the Scriptures does it say that a Christian is to be an unhappy, depressed, gloomy person, carrying the whole weight of the world on his/her shoulders? You and I are to be stewards of this world which God has created. We are to be a joyful, purposeful people and communicate the authentic conviction that God is alive. He made this day. And you and I should strive to make the most of it. So our primary function is to convey this joyous spirit to others. A secondary spinoff of this is that we find a new blessing in our own lives.

My prayer: Father, God, I pray that although we as humans have lots of ‘stuff” going on in our daily lives that we stop for a moment to seek Your face so that we will know where real joy comes from. It’s not in what society thinks it should be or in the things that wear us down. Real joy comes from You, Heavenly Father and if we allow it to do so it will permeate from Your heart dear Lord and penetrate into our very soul. Teach us dear Lord that happiness is a temporary feeling but that the real joy You give us is everlasting. This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen