Date:
Friday,
May 22, 2015
Chapters: Nehemiah 8-10
Message Title: The Joy Of The Lord
Hello My Friend,
The joy of the Lord, when life rips apart our joy, we do not have to sit there and take it, we do not have to get depressed and go over every detail, blaming ourselves for what happened. We do not have to feel like a failure, because we are not. We are human beings with human feelings, we love, laugh, cry, get angry, and jealous, but we are made in the very image of God, and that means God feels what we feel. Don't let the devil steal your joy, get to Jesus and He will give you the strength to keep going. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” - Romans 5:1-5.
The ultimate purpose God had for His people returning to Jerusalem was more than just the restoration of the temple and the walls. These were man-made structures and powerless to protect them from their enemies unless they knew God and obeyed His Word. Unfortunately the Book of the Law was written in Hebrew, which many of the new generation did not understand. However, Nehemiah and thousands of Jews assembled at sunrise in Jerusalem day after day to hear Ezra and the Levites read and explain the Book of the Law so they could know how to live the way God intended. “And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, 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 sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.” - Nehemiah 8:9-12.
We mess up quite a bit in this life, sometimes even when we are faithfully serving God, but that is what His grace is for. Thank God for His endless grace, and His mercy because God does not measure us on our past mishaps, He measures us on our faith and obedience to Him. Of course, we are going to mess up, but we can't dwell on the past, seek forgiveness from God and enjoy life. Eat and drink of His blessings and tell others about how merciful and graceful He is to all as we walk in the joy of Jesus Christ having saved us from more than the fiery pit of hell. “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” - Matthew 25:21.
We can hear God's Word, but the hard part is doing what He says. Ezra and several others gathered all who wanted to know about God and attentively listened to the Book of the Law spoken to them. “Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God. Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.” - Nehemiah 9:1-3,32,36-38.
Those who allow Christ to live in and through them find joy not only in His blessings, but convictions as well. When we will feel conviction from past or present sins, almost immediately we begin to seek forgiveness from God. It is an amazing feeling to go to God and ask Him for forgiveness and as long as we are sincere, receive it, confident that it is by His grace that we are forgiven. When we confess our sins to God we are just getting the weight of the sin off our shoulders and one cannot help, but cry, thank God and praise Him for being such a merciful God. We must make it a point to read and learn all of God's Word, Old and New Testaments, while we are no longer subject to the Laws of Moses, the principles of being godly and separated from the world still apply. We belong to Christ, He shed His blood for us so we do not have to be cast into hell and the lake of fire. We need to rejoice in that fact daily, and stop letting the past control our future. Confess your sins, let go of them, hand them over to Jesus, and just bask in His joy. “Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.” - Psalms 35:26-28.
The completion of the wall provided them with protection from surrounding enemies and provided them with peace of mind to hear what God had to say. Those that were sealed or saved wanted to know all of God's Word and little by little they learned about the generations before them and how they came to be where they were at present.
“And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes; And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons: And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;” - Nehemiah 10:28-32.
"Entered into a curse", means that the people vowed to be connected to the temple as one, meaning that together they were one body of God and if they were to separate from the temple they would not know how to face affliction, placing a curse upon themselves. All who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour are One Body of Christ, we cannot be separated from God, but it can feel like it to those who are living in sin. Affliction comes to all, but those who separate themselves from God in a sense are cursed because they are trying to figure it out on their own, but all who come to God will find joy through them. “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” - 2 Corinthians 4:14-17.
Today's Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for the sacrifice You made by giving Your life so that I can have eternal life. You shed Your blood so that I did not have to spend eternity in hell, I believe in all that You are and that You alone are the only one who can save me. I am sealed by Your blood and am forever grateful for what You have done for me. Forgive me for the times I become forgetful of what You have done for me and continue to do in my life. Help me to keep stay in Your Word and follow it so that I will not become separated from You. Fill me with Your joy for You are my strength and the only one who can carry me through. I love You and pray in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Chapters: Nehemiah 8-10
Message Title: The Joy Of The Lord
Hello My Friend,
The joy of the Lord, when life rips apart our joy, we do not have to sit there and take it, we do not have to get depressed and go over every detail, blaming ourselves for what happened. We do not have to feel like a failure, because we are not. We are human beings with human feelings, we love, laugh, cry, get angry, and jealous, but we are made in the very image of God, and that means God feels what we feel. Don't let the devil steal your joy, get to Jesus and He will give you the strength to keep going. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” - Romans 5:1-5.
The ultimate purpose God had for His people returning to Jerusalem was more than just the restoration of the temple and the walls. These were man-made structures and powerless to protect them from their enemies unless they knew God and obeyed His Word. Unfortunately the Book of the Law was written in Hebrew, which many of the new generation did not understand. However, Nehemiah and thousands of Jews assembled at sunrise in Jerusalem day after day to hear Ezra and the Levites read and explain the Book of the Law so they could know how to live the way God intended. “And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, 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 sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.” - Nehemiah 8:9-12.
We mess up quite a bit in this life, sometimes even when we are faithfully serving God, but that is what His grace is for. Thank God for His endless grace, and His mercy because God does not measure us on our past mishaps, He measures us on our faith and obedience to Him. Of course, we are going to mess up, but we can't dwell on the past, seek forgiveness from God and enjoy life. Eat and drink of His blessings and tell others about how merciful and graceful He is to all as we walk in the joy of Jesus Christ having saved us from more than the fiery pit of hell. “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” - Matthew 25:21.
We can hear God's Word, but the hard part is doing what He says. Ezra and several others gathered all who wanted to know about God and attentively listened to the Book of the Law spoken to them. “Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God. Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.” - Nehemiah 9:1-3,32,36-38.
Those who allow Christ to live in and through them find joy not only in His blessings, but convictions as well. When we will feel conviction from past or present sins, almost immediately we begin to seek forgiveness from God. It is an amazing feeling to go to God and ask Him for forgiveness and as long as we are sincere, receive it, confident that it is by His grace that we are forgiven. When we confess our sins to God we are just getting the weight of the sin off our shoulders and one cannot help, but cry, thank God and praise Him for being such a merciful God. We must make it a point to read and learn all of God's Word, Old and New Testaments, while we are no longer subject to the Laws of Moses, the principles of being godly and separated from the world still apply. We belong to Christ, He shed His blood for us so we do not have to be cast into hell and the lake of fire. We need to rejoice in that fact daily, and stop letting the past control our future. Confess your sins, let go of them, hand them over to Jesus, and just bask in His joy. “Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.” - Psalms 35:26-28.
The completion of the wall provided them with protection from surrounding enemies and provided them with peace of mind to hear what God had to say. Those that were sealed or saved wanted to know all of God's Word and little by little they learned about the generations before them and how they came to be where they were at present.
“And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes; And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons: And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;” - Nehemiah 10:28-32.
"Entered into a curse", means that the people vowed to be connected to the temple as one, meaning that together they were one body of God and if they were to separate from the temple they would not know how to face affliction, placing a curse upon themselves. All who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour are One Body of Christ, we cannot be separated from God, but it can feel like it to those who are living in sin. Affliction comes to all, but those who separate themselves from God in a sense are cursed because they are trying to figure it out on their own, but all who come to God will find joy through them. “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” - 2 Corinthians 4:14-17.
Today's Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for the sacrifice You made by giving Your life so that I can have eternal life. You shed Your blood so that I did not have to spend eternity in hell, I believe in all that You are and that You alone are the only one who can save me. I am sealed by Your blood and am forever grateful for what You have done for me. Forgive me for the times I become forgetful of what You have done for me and continue to do in my life. Help me to keep stay in Your Word and follow it so that I will not become separated from You. Fill me with Your joy for You are my strength and the only one who can carry me through. I love You and pray in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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