Are You A Faithful Witness To The Truth In This World Of Nonsense?
Good Morning Friends,
The world is a pretty crazy place. New addictions are around every corner and marketing people skilled in the behavioral sciences are facilitating it for profit… we so easily fall prey to them. It is as if we are made to be addicted to things and privileges too. It does so bully us in the world. We even seek out and jokes that degrade, blondes and fat people and nationalities…vestiges of discrimination. But then there is this thing called joy and it is a whole new alternative for it frees us from the chains of the rat race that hold us captive. It is joy that frees us and even those negatively affected by the addictions of others. In this way God’s higher power does not remove addictions but does help us fight them. Are You A Faithful Witness To The Truth In This World Of Nonsense?
Scripture: Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10 (NRSV)
You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 12:1-6 (NRSV)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 (NRSV)
Message: We explore in today’s scripture our joy as Christians and how we magnify this joy in our daily walk in the face of cultural issues. Imagine for a moment not being allowed to worship collectively for 70 years. It is into that setting that our scripture from Nehemiah is birthed. Nehemiah is surprised by the joy of reading scripture again and cries for joy. Nehemiah, with his new found freedom then set out to use himself in service to the community of faithful fueled by this joy…seeking to do good and continue a cycle of joy. It is in this release from captivity we learn an excellent example of why we need to be joyous in life’s detours, how our strength is the joy of the Lord, not an experience or circumstance, but an inward disposition of the heart that we must choose, pursue and maintain. Friends, one of our tasks as Christians is to not reject joy in our own lives. If we select it and let it spill over and be helpers of the joy and love in others we will be drinking deep of the promise of the living water. It is this joy that produces an inner strength… a strength we find when our children walk in truth or our prayers are answered, a joy of the scriptures when they speak to us personally, a joy in faithful service, a joy when we know our heart is right with the Lord, or feel His presence… the fullness of joy. And day after day we give thanks to this product of the Spirit because the water of eternal life overflows in our joy. As C.S. Lewis says, “The very nature of joy makes nonsense of our common distinction between having and wanting.” For joy is found in sharing our joy multiplying it in others. Joy is received in the giving and the greatest of all joy is in seeing a friend’s life changed. Friends resolve to be joyous, choosing joy each day. Let your joy show through when you tell your story, when you smile, when you sing, for the God that shines through you is great enough to make you into a faithful witness of the truth.
Pray we let the joy in us be a witness of our changed life. Pray this joy is instilled with the strength of the Lord. Pray our pride is wiped away so that we can give thanks for the joy manifested in a relationship with God. Pray we understand the dignity and value of a labor for the Lord. Pray we submit to the Lord.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 