Strength in His Joy

"Then Nehemiah the governor, 

Ezra the priest and scribe,

and the Levites 

who were interpreting for the people said to them, 

'Don't mourn or weep on such a day as this!

For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God.'

For the people had all been weeping 

as they listened to the words of the Law.

And Nehemiah continued,

'Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods

and sweet drinks,

and share gifts of food 

with people who have nothing prepared.

This is a sacred day before our Lord.

Don't be dejected and sad,

for the joy of the LORD is your strength!'"

Nehemiah 8:9-10 NLT

It's easy to be overwhelmed by how far I fall short, or how many times I've failed, or how I can't seem to live the way I know God wants me to live.  Guilt weighs me down.  A shroud of shame hangs over me.  Self-condemnation holds me back.  My sin seems to define me.

Instead of mourning over my sin and letting it rule me, however, it is God's intention that I rejoice?  How?  By letting His joy be my strength!  And that joy is delivered through faith in Jesus Christ my Lord.

Forgiveness.  I'm guilty.  I can't deny my wrongdoing, defiance and self-centered ways.  There is no doubt I fall short of God's perfect standard (Romans 3:23).  Apart from Jesus, I'm doomed to bear the weight of God's righteous wrath as a result of my sin.  Through my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, however, I have received God's forgiveness.  

In dying on the cross, Jesus satisfied God's sense of justness, taking the punishment meant for me because of my sin. While God cannot simply give mercy, the blood sacrifice of Jesus released God's forgiveness into my life (Hebrews 9:22).  In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Though (my) sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

I am not destined to bear the weight of the punishment my sins deserve.  I can rejoice!

Redemption.  I am a slave.  I cannot help but do wrong.  No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot live a sin-free life (Romans 7:21-23).  I am bound to sin as much as a prisoner is confined to his jail cell.  To make matters worse, this sin which comes so naturally has earned me a death sentence (Romans 6:23a).  Who will free me from such hopelessness?

Jesus Christ my Lord (Romans 7:24-25)!  In taking my punishment on the cross and meeting God's holy and just requirement for my sin, Jesus bought me back from death (Romans 3:23-24).  He freed me from the inevitability of living a life of sin.  He released me from the bond sin had over me.

Because He paid such a hefty price in exchange for my freedom, I can offer myself as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:13).  This very flesh that used to be all about self-gratification and doing what comes naturally, now is a holy vessel that holds the very Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I am not fated to live the life I've always lived.  Now there is a new way (2 Corinthians 5:17).  I am redeemed!

I am not destined to live a life of sin nor reap the punishment my sins deserve.  I can rejoice!

Restoration.  How could a good God let this happen?  Why is there so much suffering in this world?  Where is God?  These are common questions with which most of us have grappled.  The truth I have come to realize is that God is not the author of evil nor does He approve of such wickedness.  In a fallen world where free will exists, however, we all suffer from the consequences of sin.  We all recognize the darkness.  We shudder at the evil all around us.

Darkness is simply the absence of light.  Therefore, the evil for which I lash out at God, blaming Him for what man and Satan have done, is really just a result of all that He isn't.  In other words, none of this suffering would have taken place if things remained as He created them.  It was never His intention for darkness to enter into His creation.  Sin, rebellion and disobedience corrupted His plan.  Corrupted but did not destroy.

Every ugly thing in this world is from the darkness.  All the good is from the Light (James 1:17).  My sin separates me from such a holy God as this, keeping me from His goodness.  What kind of life am I destined to live, then, apart from Jesus?  A life marked my deep suffering and ugliness.  A life of chaos and hopelessness.  A life ruled by pain.

In Jesus, however, my outlook is much brighter.  While there is much to lament in this world, I do have reason to rejoice.  Despite my sin, notwithstanding my disobedience, even though I fail miserably, I am still a child of God (1 John 3:1).  My place in His family has been restored through faith in Jesus Christ.  My position as His beloved daughter is secure because of what Jesus has done.  I am not doomed to live in the darkness I taste in this world.

I am not destined to be eternally separated from the God who loves me.  I can rejoice!

There is much in this life over which I can despair.  It seems there is no hope as I consider my guilt, my inability to live a righteous life, and the darkness which bears down on me.  In such an atmosphere, how can I carry on?  Through Jesus!  In Christ I have the atonement of my sins, His redemption offered freely, and restoration with the holy God who loves me perfectly.  The joy of the Lord is my strength through faith in Jesus Christ!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can walk confidently forward as a well-loved child of God.

When do I despair, as if I have no hope?

How do I give in to sin, forgetting of the power Jesus has given me over it?