"Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (11) So the Levites quieted all the people saying, 'Be still, for the day is holy, do not be grieved."
Nehemiah 8:10-11 NKJV
Ezra the priest had just read the Book of the Law to the people. He had started in the morning and now, at midday, he concluded. The people were so touched by the Word of God that they began to weep. Nehemiah, the governor at that time, told the people not to mourn or indeed, weep because the day was holy. Instead, he told them, to be filled with the joy of the Lord which is their strength.
Realise that each new day is holy to us because Jesus is in our lives. We should live holy lives because He is holy. (1Peter 1:15). And what is more, each day Jesus tells us not to mourn or be sorrowful but, to be joyful. 'This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.' (Psalm 118:24). He has created a new day for us - a day that is holy and he expects us to enjoy it - be glad in it and joyful.
There are many opposites that we come up against each day. Take for instance faith; the opposite of this is fear. Joy is no different; it has an opposite and this is despair, which is the misery of the world. It includes depression, anger, moaning, criticism, judging and aggression. These are all wrapped up in weakness, failure and spiritual decay. So therefore, joy is our strength; but to live the opposite is weakness.
God did not say, 'This is the day the Lord has made, we will despair and moan about it'. Absolutely not. We can choose to do this, that is our right. However, it is not a very good choice. It's far better to carry out God's directive, 'we will rejoice and be glad in it'.
Laughing is a great way to be free. It releases tension. We can laugh our way to victory. We can also laugh ourselves into good health. 'A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.' (Proverbs 17:22).
Joy and merriment are a recipe for victory and we should choose to live this way every day of our lives. We need it - the world needs it. Each day is a holy day with Jesus and He is never in despair. Take a leaf or two out of His book - these verses.
Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard
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