The Joy of the LORD is Your Strength

[Goodboy]

I believe the Lord has given me a word for us today and that word is JOY.

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.

Do you have joy? I hope you do and if you don't we need to correct that. If you do, it should show on your face. We Christians should be joyful and show that on our face for two reasons. The first is because we need the joy to help us deal with all the negative things we encounter. The second is so others will be attracted to us when we share Jesus with them.

I don't expect you to show joy on your face if you don't feel joyful though. Like I said, if you don't feel joyful we need to fix that! If you do feel joyful, then you need to tell your face that, so others can see it.

God Bless!

 

[Andy C]

I don't expect you to show joy on your face if you don't feel joyful though. Like I said, if you don't feel joyful we need to fix that! If you do feel joyful, then you need to tell your face that, so others can see it.

Good post!

It took many, many years to lose my Drill Instructor frown. Even when I felt happy inside, it did not show on my face. Thankfully, it’s mostly gone now and I look more approachable while interacting with strangers. Even my daughter has commented it’s good to see me smiling.

Serious note: I kid you not, I use to practice a smile before having a picture taken because I did not know how it was supposed to feel while smiling.

 

[Eric Nicholas]

I'll be working on my pouty face as well, Andy. Good posts here.

 

[Andy C]

I'll be working on my pouty face as well, Andy. Good posts here.

Pouty????? Drop down and give me 50. I typed this while smiling

 

[Tall Timbers]

Joy in the Lord has been on my mind lately, in a renewed sense. I've gone through several periods in my Christian walk.

I began with an overflowing exuberance. Much time passed and at some point I fell into what I would call the dark night of the soul. During that time frame I didn't feel God's presence and it was harder for me to read the Bible and pray. But I stayed faithful throughout that period. That period ended with a chastisement from the Lord. To be chastised by the Lord is a wonderful thing! Why? God chastises whom He LOVES! The dark night was over and remained over. Today I have the joy of the Lord in my heart but my daily experience/behavior is much different than when I was a new Believer.

While raising my children I was a pretty sober fellow. My marriage wasn't a good one and the responsibilities that are shared between a husband and wife all fell on my shoulders as my wife wasn't willing to help in any way. The responsibilities of maintaining the property and caring for/raising 4 children was always on the edge of being more than I could handle. That made for a pretty sober fella. I played with the children a lot but they had a very sober dad. I helped to lead three of them to Christ, the youngest I'm not sure about, but I'm pretty sure they did not see the joy in the Lord in their dad.

That's why I've been thinking on that topic a lot. How do I now share the joy of the Lord with my children, dispersed as they are? The Lord has blessed me wonderfully, and I did the best I could at the time with my kids, but I always wish I could have done more. I'm never quite satisfied with the fruit of my life. I want to do better.

Everything I've experienced in this life will be used for good. I have a personal relationship with Jesus and have matured in the relationship over time. I do rejoice in the Lord, and am ever thankful of His gift to me, my children and to all of the Body of Christ.

 

[Margery]

What a wonderful thread @Goodboy !

 

[Andy C]

I do feel the majority of the time, I have Joy in the Lord. The challenge for me is displaying that to strangers.

This thread has made me think about how I go about life in my walk with Him. Because of some cognitive issues, even though they are not too bad, I have a hard time wanting to leave the house. I go to the gym most early mornings, and then shop at the food store across from the gym. While engaged in these activities, Im laser focused on the task, not there to chit chat, in and out, like I was never there.
Oddly enough, over the years when out with our RVs, while in the RV park, Im suddenly a chatty person, and talk to everyone. This coming trip, Im going to try my best to display the Joy I have, and verbally share that joy with others as the OP suggested.

1 Peter 1:8-9​

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 

[Margery]

I do feel the majority of the time, I have Joy in the Lord. The challenge for me is displaying that to strangers.

This thread has made me think about how I go about life in my walk with Him. Because of some cognitive issues, even though they are not too bad, I have a hard time wanting to leave the house. I go to the gym most early mornings, and then shop at the food store across from the gym. While engaged in these activities, Im laser focused on the task, not there to chit chat, in and out, like I was never there.
Oddly enough, over the years when out with our RVs, while in the RV park, Im suddenly a chatty person, and talk to everyone. This coming trip, Im going to try my best to display the Joy I have, and verbally share that joy with others as the OP suggested.

1 Peter 1:8-9​

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your

Andy don't feel too bad. George tended to look pretty severe even when he was feeling quite cheery. He tried but people didn't seem to notice the difference. Just be yourself. The Lord will put that joy on your face when it's needful.