The Joy of the Lord
Author:
January 09, 2019
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy
choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.
This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10, NIV
Sheila wanted to explain the
concept of the “joy of the Lord” to her children. So she grabbed two glasses
from her kitchen cabinet and placed them on the table. Then she filled a
pitcher with water.
She used a marker to draw
faces on each glass. “Each glass represents a person.” She explained when she
was done. “This one is Minnie. Minnie has beautiful dresses, parents that love
her, and all the toys she could want. She always gets to eat her favorite
meals.”
Then Sheila grabbed the other
glass. “This one is Martha. Her family is poor. She only has two dresses to war
to school. But her parents love her. She doesn’t have a lot of toys and she
doesn’t get to eat her favorite foods every day.”
“Now,” Sheila gestured to the
glasses. “Which girl is happier?”
When her children suggested
that Minnie was, Sheila filled up Martha’s glass instead. “Martha has the joy
of Jesus, even though her circumstances are hard. God can give us help to get
through difficult days. The joy of the Lord can be our strength.”
God, please let the joy of the Lord be my strength today. I
don’t want to let my circumstances determine how happy I am. Instead, I put my
eyes on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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