Day 119 – Upside down and inside out is the way the Word of God should infect our lives with Joy and Hope!
Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 8 – 10
Nehemiah 8:9-10 “And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The Word of the Lord should fill you with Joy not Grief, but for years I thought I had this all wrong and couldn’t figure out why I was always filled with Joy when I heard His Word spoken. It’s like I had an upside down and inside out theology spoken to me, but in actuality I think I took words spoken years ago out of context. You see, someone once said, “If you are going to church to feel good, you are going to church for the wrong reason.” So, I thought well maybe I’m going to church for the wrong reason because every time I leave church I feel so much better than when I walked in the doors. At that time, I was in the roughest years of my walk. I wasn’t going to feel good, I was going because I needed God in a HUGE way, and oh, how He filled me with His Holy Spirit while I was there. Every time I walked in the church doors His Word would speak to me, sometimes it would convict and sometimes it brought Joy, but it never grieved me. My pastor wasn’t preaching the “Happy Bible”, he was teaching the Whole Word of God.
Even that which convicts us should bring repentance not grief or shame.
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
Through His Word spoken we can find Hope and experience Joy because His Word is spoken right to us. We don’t have to go to church to experience Joy, but we should experience Joy when we go.
Running 2 Fly 