October 6, 2026 -- Day Six of Joy: Nehemiah 8:10

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

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.”
Nehemiah 8:10 ESV
 
The people of God had just spent hours (yes, hours) standing outside, listening to the Word of the LORD as it was read and explained. Their response? They worshiped the Living God Who’d rescued them, sustained them, returned them from exile back into the land. There’d been much weeping as well, as people realized it was their sinfulness which ignited the appropriate wrath of God against the previous generation and their generation. The public reading of the Word restored the people’s confidence in the LORD’s goodness, His acts of mercy, and salvation.
 
How is the “joy of the LORD” your strength? Remember recent failures and sins and then immediately recognize the grace of God poured out on you in Christ. You are a son or a daughter of God, forgiven, reconciled to God by the blood of Christ! Let that ignite a glowing fire of joy in your soul. Read the Word of God and know joy is the spiritual response of these blessed by God. Joy is God’s gift to strengthen believers in times of trouble. Joy is contagious in the life of the believer winning other souls to Christ.
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the Bible. Thank You for the work of Your Holy Spirit, in each and every generation, preserving the Bible and using it, along with the witness of fishers of men, to kindle a living faith in Jesus. Triune God let the joy of knowing You be our strength. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/2ar76T6OGoU?si=Uxwx8QDVcUq3sINJ
 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.