Nehemiah 8:10 – “The joy of the Lord is your strength”
If I were writing an S.A.T. analogy about joy it would look something like this:
Weight lifting is to muscles as joy is to strength.
If we want to build physical muscle we must utilize and commit to weight lifting. If we want to build spiritual strength we must use and utilize the gift of joy we have been given. Joy is not only a warm happy feeling you have every now and again when things are going to your advantage, it is much more than that! Joy is like a spiritual force, like spiritual muscles. Joy is so very important to our daily lives. So important that God thought important enough to give it to us as a spiritual gift (Galatians Chapter 5), and since he has given it us, we already have it in us we do not have to wait for joy to arrive, we do not lack it at all, we just have to choose to use it. Just like our muscles in our body, the muscles are there already but in order to grow them and make them strong we have to use them more. Physical muscles are built when they are forced to work against pressure and against what is uncomfortable. Joy when used in situations of pressure and discomfort build strength. So if you are going through difficulty of any kind and you feel lacking in strength you are not exercising your joy enough! Stop right where you are and recognize you already have the gift of joy inside you, you do not have to wait for it to arrive you just have to tap into it and start utilizing it by choosing it in your attitude and actions. The best way I can think of to “tap into it” is to start thinking on things you have to be thankful for, thinking on all that is going right and think on the promises of God and how faithful he is. Before you know it you will be changing from grumbling to joy, and from weakness to strength. When God wants to make you strong, joy is what He uses!
Blessings,
Pastor Ginny
