We Must Rejoice in the Word

8/29/2011 9:39:18 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                                                     Focus:  We must rejoice in the Word

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                                           Reference:  Nehemiah 8:9-12

                Message of the verse:  “9 ¶  Then 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 were weeping when they heard the words of the law. 10  Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." 11  So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved." 12  All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.”

                The Word of God had been taught to the people on the first day of the seventh month, which is the Day of Atonement.  It was during this day that the Lord had dealt with their sins and now they were morning over their sins for they were convicted by the Word of God.  The people were now sad because of their conviction that the Word had brought upon them.  After the Day of Atonement came the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), and this would bring joy to their hearts for during this feast the people would go out and gather branches and make tent like structures to live in for a week, and in this way they would remember their forefathers who had lived in tents when they came out of Egypt and marched around in the wilderness for forty years.  After conviction the Word brings joy, for after conviction comes repentance and this produces joy.  Jeremiah 15:16 speaks of the Word bringing joy, “Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.”  Psalm 19:8 speaks of this joy through the Word, “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Psalm 119:111 also tells of this joy in the Word, “I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart.”

                Dr. Wiersbe writes “It is as wrong to mourn when God has forgiven us as it is to rejoice when sin has conquered us.  The sinner has no reason for rejoicing and the forgiven child of God has no reason for mourning (Matthew 9:9-17). 

                One of the things that the Word of God does is to convict people, but the Word of God does not save people.  The Word of God will led us to the Lord Jesus Christ who will save us.  Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”  Gal. 3:24 “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

                A few years after I became a believer I was moved by the Lord to write a tract that I entitled “The Word of God.”  Some Bible Tracts have stories in them and some have both stories and Scripture in them but my desire was to just have Scripture in this tract, Scripture that would be used to led someone to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and then to help them grow in the Word.  Here is how I broke up the tract: 

                The Word of God and Sin:  (Romans 3:23; 6:23)

                The Word of God and Salvation:  (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 4:12; John 3:16; John 14:6; Romans 5:8; John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:1)

                The Word of God And The Assurance of Salvation:  (1John 5:13; John 10:27-30)

                The Word of God And Growth:  (Colossians 2:6; 1Peter 2:2)

                The Word of God:  (Hebrews 4:12)

                As I look back on this tract it may have been good to add “The Word of God and Joy.”  For true joy can only come through the Word of God.  The same Word the wounds us can heal us and then produce joy in our hearts.

                Dr. Wiersbe writes “There are great treasures buried in God’s Word and you and I must diligently ‘dig’ for them as we read, meditate, and pray; and when we find these treasures, we should rejoice and give thanks.”  “It is the believer who rejoices in the Word, who delights to read and study it day by day, who will find God’s hidden treasures.”

                He then asks these convicting questions “Do you delight in God’s Word?  Would you rather have God’s Word than food (Ps. 119:103; Luke 10:38-42), or sleep (Ps. 119:55, 62, 147-148), or wealth? (vv.14, 72, 137, 162).  If you delight in His Word, God will delight in you and share His best blessings with you.”

                Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Word of God has convicted me from today’s section to allow the Word to give me more joy.  I do rejoice from time to time over something that I read in the Word that can really excite me, but perhaps I do need more of the “Joy of the Lord” in my life.

My Steps of Faith for Today: 

1.       Remember that “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

2.       Continue to trust the Lord to led me and guide me each and every day.

3.       Continue to learn contentment.

8/29/2011 10:50:01 AM