12/08/2011 - THE GLADNESS OF YOUR NATION

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That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation

Psalm 106:5b

It is of great advantage to participate in the joy God intended for His people; after all, everything that comes from Him is of paramount importance because it is part of His own being. Those who know the joyful sound of heaven are blessed, but on the other hand, those who do not experience the joy of belonging to the divine flock do not know what they are missing.
We must not rejoice in the things of the world nor with the success that we achieve along our earthly journey because it brings us no pleasure, in that the world\’s happiness is fleeting and yields no blessings. But the joy that God gives us is different because besides moving us in a wonderful way, it is a sign that the time has come to take possession of what has been given to us by our Father. When our hearts rejoice, we no longer need to ask, but rather to ordain what has been promised to us.
There are several passages in the Scriptures that show joy as a necessary element to serve God (Ezra 6:16; II Chronicles 23:18; Nehemiah 12:27). In fact, nobody can serve Him without having a blissful spirit. Religious men from various creeds think they are serving the Lord because they follow the rules and the dogmas of their religion. However, we do not see in most of them that natural happiness because they generally have a sad countenance and fulfill their obligations just because they are commanded, but not with pleasure. On the other hand those who truly belong to God are always happy and fulfill the divine commands with gladness.
Jesus said He would be with us every day (Matthew 28:20b). So when our hearts rejoice, we can be certain that we were honored with His visit. When this happens, we do not need to wait to exercise our right in His name; we can demand the departure of evil immediately.
The Scriptures guarantee that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10b). So, he who does not have such joy will have no strength, and he who has just a little joy will have just a little strength. So let\’s meet the biblical requirements so that we are always ready to enjoy the abundant life that the Almighty has brought us (John 10:10b). The next time you hear the preaching of the Word, or read the Bible, and the joy of the Lord wells up in you, then you can rest assured that the divine strength has been placed at your disposal.
We do not obtain celestial favors by chance or from asking too much but rather by following the direction of the Lord’s Word. Thus, we can become as successful as were those people recorded in the sacred pages as heroes of faith. In their days, they performed many miracles (Hebrews 11), and we too can operate the same wonders.
In Christ with love,
R. R. Soares