The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength

"The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10b, NASB). 

There is a popular slogan by Under Armour that says, "Protect This House." I think what it means is that as we exercise, we are helping our body by keeping it healthy. There are many other ways to seek physical health and protection. Where do you run for strength and protection?

Lately, this verse above has been on my mind. God sent Ezra and Nehemiah in these days to restore Jerusalem in very realistic, visual ways, as they rebuilt the temple and the city walls, respectively. The focus in this chapter is that as Ezra read God's law out loud, the people began weeping.

Why were they weeping? These people were weeping at the reading of God's Word and as they realized their sins. I think God's Word can be challenging and lovely at the same time. We can see He is holy and deserves the utmost respect and worship, and I think the people may have felt regret or sadness over their sin.

Kelli Martin

What did Ezra say about it? He asked them to not grieve or mourn. I think the purpose here is that God, in that moment, was there to restore His people not just physically but also spiritually. It was also time to start the festival of booths. God was proving His faithfulness to restore His people.

He can restore us today as well, as we turn to Him in belief and with a heart of repentance. He gave His Word out of love, so that we could know Him more. It is good to be sorrowful over our sins so that we see the need to turn from them and toward God, but we must trust that God also lets us turn to Him and come to Him. He is a forgiver. Let's embrace that and walk in faith in that.

Let's take a moment to praise Him because He has shown how He wants to restore us. Let's share with others, by word and by action, our source of joy and strength.

Check out all of the first part of chapter 8 in Nehemiah here: Nehemiah 8:1-12 (NLT)

A New Heart: Forgiveness

"And forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you" (Colossians 3:13b, NASB).

One of the greatest pictures of forgiveness I see is in couples who have been married a long time. Picture any two people living together. After all of those years, they must have shared so much of life together. Surely, even if you can't see it, there have been times when they disagreed about something or when they messed up and hurt the other. What lasts forever, though? A love that forgives, I see, and a love that presses on during hard times.

Our God lives a lifestyle of forgiveness. He keeps loving us, even when we turn away from Him and go our own way. It is why He eventually sent His Son, Jesus, to die for the times we turned against Him. Forgiveness is a part of His nature. Nothing can separate us from His love.

Romans 8:38-39 (NASB) says:

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 

nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 

nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, 

will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God's perfect love shows in His forgiveness. With His help, we can make it a part of our every day walk with Him. As He makes our hearts be more forgiving, hopefully others will see Him working in us and will see more of how our Lord loves.

Is there someone on your mind that doesn't know God's forgiveness? Let's pray for them, so they see and know His grace.

Mighty God, we are amazed at the way You forgive us. Help us practice forgiveness the way that You do. Help someone on our minds today, someone who doesn't know You, come to know Your forgiveness as well. We pray that they come to be a part of Your loving family. Amen.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo from www.revitalizecounselingservices.com.

In the Light

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us form all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, New American Standard Bible).

If you rub your hands on a newspaper, then what happens? Usually, it makes my hands smeared with black ink. When we sin, our hearts are marked up by it. We are further from God because of it, because He is holy. 

In this verse and the verses surrounding it (1 John 1:5-10), we learn that God is light. As believers who have turned from sin and seek to live life with the holy God, we also seek to walk in the light. Sin separates us from God, yet He still desires for us to come closer. Remember how He loved us while we were still trapped in sin (Romans 5:8)? Jesus was sent to die for our sins so that God's wrath on the sin would be paid.

Therefore, as believers, we are forgiven and are under grace (Romans 6:14). Yet, in our relationship with God, we must still confess the sin that He sees and turn from it, so this relationship will strengthen (Romans 6:15). God is faithful to forgive us from those sins.

So, God not only walks in the light, but also desires for us to walk in it as well.  When we turn to God, turn away from sin that threatens to damage us, and ask for forgiveness, it is like He washes hands that have been covered in newspaper ink. We are made new, as white as freshly fallen snow. Jesus came into the world, after all, to save us from lives marred from sin, so we would have the chance to be in a mended relationship with God (Titus 2:11-14).

Lord, thank You for sending Your Son to the world, and thank You for Your forgiveness. Give us hearts that ache to be made right with You and follow You, so that Your Spirit can continue its work through us. Help us to share the power of Your forgiveness with someone else this week. Amen.

"Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7, NASB).

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo from interactive.wxxi.org.

The Holy Spirit and the desperado

"'But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 
And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 
concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 
and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 
and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged'" (John 16:7-11, New American Standard Bible).

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit" (1 Peter 3:18, New American Standard Bible).

Have you heard the song "Desperado" by the Eagles? The illustration to the left is of the band, by Mark Stutzman (from www.rollingstone.com). The word "desperado" means criminal, but it reminds me of old stories about cowboys in the American wild west. I could be way off in my interpretation, but the desperado described seems to be about someone who seeks freedom by living apart from people and love (you can find the lyrics here, at azlyrics.com).

As believers, the Holy Spirit points out sin that separates us from God (John 16:8-11). The purpose of  conviction is to help us see our need for a healed relationship with God, our Creator, Savior, and King. God loves us, and Jesus paid the price for sin already. The hope is that we come to Him for forgiveness, restoration, and a closer relationship with Him.

1 Peter 3:18 explains that the end goal for the convicting is to make us alive in the Spirit. Is there some part of your life that is away from God? God wants us to desire Him more than sin and then put our trust in Him and His lead.

Lord, thank You for loving us enough to want to bring us back to Your presence, even when we sin. Convict us; help us see where we need more of You. May the Holy Spirit convict others, too, so they can also know and trust in You. Amen.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).

Praying God's HeartCall: We ask for forgiveness

"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions." -Mark 11:25, New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God calls us to see His forgivness, to seek His forgiveness, and to live His forgiveness. When we learn more about who God is, forgiveness makes more sense. God is not only holy and just, but also slow to anger and rich in love (Psalm 103:8). This is great news, because this is where we can catch a glimpse of how we are forgiven and of who He is. God forgives us of sins we confess with a believing heart (see Mark 11:22-23). He lives this example of forgiveness.

 Also, He calls us to ask for forgiveness ourselves. 1 John 1:9 reads, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (NASB). This reconciliation between God and people comes about because of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who came to die for us while we were still lost in sin. As we turn to Him for help, seeking Him for freedom from sin and asking for forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive. This faithfulness puts me in awe when I think of some things I have done, but nevertheless, He can forgive us no matter what.

 So, His call is for us to turn to Him for forgivness and as our Guide. God not only teaches us, but also He can transform us more and more every day to be a people with more forgiving hearts (2 Corinthians 3:18). We can forgive others by His strength and because we have witnessed the same sort of forgivness He shows us (1 John 4:19).

Lord, thank you for Christ's sacrifice and example. Help us see your forgiving nature. Please forgive me of my sins against you and against others. Help us to forgive like you forgive. Amen.

 The devotion above is based off the verses used for study in HeartCall: A Call to Prayer (Jaye Martin, 1999), in the section "Praying God's HeartCall."
"Forgiven" painting by Colleen Shay, from fineartamerica.com

Gifted2Go Forgive!

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13

Christmas, The Season of Giving, represents one of the greatest times of the year as we celebrate the greatest GIFT that was ever given by God ~JESUS~ HIS ONE AND ONLY SON. Jesus was born to die so that we could be FORGIVEN and experience ETERNAL LIFE here on earth and forever some day in heaven! Forgiveness is a gift from God. A gift to receive and a gift to give. Is there someone or some life experience that God has brought to your mind and heart to extend fresh forgiveness? When we do not forgive over and over this could cause bitter feelings or thoughts.

Some of the best definitions and truths of forgiveness that I heard and learned years ago when I was in a Bible Study about making peace with the past was shared from Focus on the Family and it goes like this "Forgiveness means giving up my right to hurt others that have hurt me! Forgiveness doesn't mean that what someone did to me is OK, it means that God will take care of everything as I put it all in His Hands! Forgiveness doesn't mean that I am suppose to have a close relationship with those that do not have your best interest at heart, I just need make sure that I am not holding any grudges that end up choking the life out of me!"

Usually forgiveness is not a one time action, it is an ongoing healthy habit!! If the enemy fails at causing Christians to turn their back on and/or be bitter at God, he will try over and over to get them to turn their back on/or be bitter at people!!

As a first-generation Christian that was NOT raised in a Christian home and that has suffered deeply from the sins of others projected onto my life. As a Christian, some of the most difficult times in my walk with God has been when other Christian's have betrayed me, but, God has allowed me to learn how to supernaturally FORGIVE the many many offenses of others (as I never forget all that He has forgiven me from) 70 x 7 and much more!! How?

Here are some simple steps, that I pray encourage you, that you can take that I have taken over and over and over to be BETTER instead of BITTER!!!

1. Never forget the many things that God has forgiven you for! (1 Tim.1:15)

2. Never stop praying for others that have offended or hurt you! (Matt. 5:44)

3. Never let the sun go down on your offense or anger! Confession keeps our hearts free from bitterness! God will take care of the offender! (Eph.4:26, 2 Tim. 4:14)

4. Never get confused with who is behind all the offenses and hurts of this world, it is NOT people, that the enemy wants you to hold a grudge against, it is THE ENEMY himself that deserves ALL blame...this is his purpose, let's not give him any purpose in our lives! (Eph.6:10-12)

5. Never forget the many ways, some of these ways will cause others to become believers, when we walk in forgiveness this will cause others to become one step closer to the CROSS, the GREATEST example of FORGIVENESS for us all!! (Gen.50:20!!, 2 Cor.1:4)

For Further Study: The life of Joseph written about in Gen. 37-50 is a great study, Joseph is a great role model, and his life is a great example of forgiveness as we all strive to be Better instead of Bitter!!

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:14-15

When, not if, life gives you lemons, add the sweetness of forgiveness and let God turn lemons into lemonade:-)!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUGXtfsEzeU (Seventy Times Seven by David Meece)