People draw joy from many things but the Bible says the joy of the Lord is your strength for the Christian. When we try and draw comfort and joy from the things of this world, we are going to end up woefully short of the mark.
Nehemiah 8:10 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.
The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength
People draw joy from many things but the Bible says the joy of the Lord is your strength for the Christian. When we try and draw comfort and joy from the things of this world, we are going to end up woefully short of the mark. The things of the world may create temporary mirth, but they do not produce true Bible joy. Strength is what you need to carry you through a long day of dealing with this world. The Christian life is a battle. The flesh wars against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh all day long unless you have deserted the battle and just given into the flesh. The Lord does not like deserters who go AWOL (Absent Without Leave) on him in the midst of the battle. When you give into the flesh, that is exactly what you are doing. You are going AWOL on the Lord. The problem is you did not take enough provision for the battle. You needed strength to make it through. You thought if you exercised enough in the flesh, that would be sufficient. The problem is you should have exercised your spirit in prayer rather than your flesh down at the gym. When you are right with the Lord, it produces joy in your life and this in turn produces strength.
Joy Comes Through a Holy Walk
Nehemiah had just preached the Word of God to the Israelites. They got right and fell in love with the Word of God again. That produced holiness in their lives. They wanted to obey God’s Word and do whatever it took to get right. True Bible joy does not come from working up the flesh like the charismatics and Pentecostals. True Bible joy is produced by getting right and living right. It is seeking the Lord and letting Him work in your life. It is when you quit trusting your own good works. It is when you let the Lord produce His work in your life. That is when true joy comes. This true joy then lets you have strength to make it through life’s trials and troubles. When that happens you are able to enjoy good fellowship with God’s people. It produces the fruit of the spirit, including joy. The joy of the Lord is your strength. There is no short cut to that joy. It only comes through a true Holy Ghost revival and change in your life.
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