The Crucial Secret

Scripture: Nehemiah 12:43

and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

Insights:  Today we are looking once again at this forty-third verse.  I mentioned this truth yesterday regarding the four ways joy is eluded to here in this verse.  Two times the word joy is present and two times the words rejoice, which is derived out of ones joy, is present.  Many times I have mentioned the difference between joy and happiness.  Happiness is completely dependent upon what is happining to you.  Now I know I just spelled happening incorrectly.  I am attempting to make a point.  Happiness is external.  It is environmental in nature.  Joy on the other hand is internal.  The Lord God, because of His Spirit that indwells a believer, fills him/her up from the inside out.  As a result, the believer becomes the influencer of joy because they are a well spring of God’s love, joy and peace.  In light of this information, notice the last phrase in today’s verse, “…the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.”  It was not their song that was heard from a far, but their joy which came through their song.  If the lost world sees you and they witness within you a joyful spirit they don’t say, in the words of Chuck Swindoll, “Oh, you sing tenor.”  They are enamored with the joyful radiance of Christ Jesus in your life.  Beloved, when you express joy in an authentic manner, the lost world is greatly encouraged because they see a hope for their situation.  So, to conclude this week’s Thoughts by Scott our brick of character we are adding to our wall of faith we are building is JOY.  It is hard to believe that next week we will conclude our time in this wonderful book of Nehemiah.  I pray you have been encouraged along the way as you have read these devotional thoughts and are a more solid Christ-follower as a result of instilling into your life these foundational character traits found in one who is born again.  May the Lord be brought glory through your life.

Questions:

1. Are you allowing the Lord to transform you from the inside out?
2. What in your life needs to be surrendered in order for this transformation to occur?

Prayer: Lord, You are the One who brings life changing and life sustaining joy in my life.  You are molding me into the person of God You want me to become.  Let that joy be contagious to those around me.  Amen.