Notes From the Pastor's Desk
August 3, 2025
Strength in Joy
The Bible says in Neh. 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” The walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt by those who returned from the Babylonian captivity. The people had assembled, the law of the Lord was read and they wept as they heard it. There was much opposition to building the wall, but God gave them joy in beginning and finishing the wall. They needed strength and that comes from having spiritual joy. The joy of the Lord gives us:
I. Strength For Tasks
Read Phil 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” God has various responsibilities He assigns to us in this life. He never calls us to do anything that He is not able to help see us through. The task before you may be great, but His strength is always greater. Opposition may be around us, but our blessed Lord is in us who are saved. One is wise to do whatever the Lord calls him or her to do, and let the joy of the Lord give strength for whatever lies before you. He gives power to live godly, to love the unlovely, and to keep on laboring.
II. Strength To Resist Temptation
Read 1 Cor. 10:13. It says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common fo man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” It is not a sin to be tempted, but yielding or giving in to the temptation is sin. Our three main temptation areas are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We need to resist the temptations that come in those three areas. If your joy is right, you will have strength to overcome and will not fall into the trap the devil has set for you.
III. Strength To Bear Troubles
There is no shortage of troubles that we have to face in life. There are plenty of them on every hand! Psm. 50:15 says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” The day of trouble seems to be reoccurring and reappearing in our lives. There is no need to panic or despair when those troubles come. Instead, God will give us His strength through His joy to deal with our troubles.
IV. Strength To Persevere
Paul says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course” (2 Tim. 4:7). We must not give up the ship, but hold our ground and be a happier warrior for the Lord. We should stick to our spiritual guns and say “Praise the Lord He gave me the spiritual weapons, and I will fight and stand to the finish.”