Psalms 95:1-2
The scripture for today is Psalms 95:1-2
Psalms 95:1-2 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.
Joy is one of the most distinguishable evidence of the presence of God in a life. It is a gift that is difficult to counterfeit. It comes from such a deep place of trust in God that no external condition can extinguish it. Its presence makes the believer in Christ stronger "for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 It is with joy that we "draw water out of the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:3 Yes friends, we have the joy of the LORD deep within our souls and regardless of the trials that the enemy throws against us, nothing can extinguish that joy for we know whom we have believed, and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12) Praise God! Jesus is always standing with us, always comforting us with His presence. And His presence, even in the midst of pain, brings joy.
Because we have such a loving God, One who emptied heaven of its most precious possession so that we might be saved, we come before Him with joy and singing and praises from our hearts. Our voices are raised to Him with unashamed gusto. We make a joyful shout to the Lord our God, the God of our salvation. We honor Him and thank Him for victory in the face of defeat. We know that in Christ Jesus the victory has already been won. If God is at work in us, nothing can defeat us! "For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13 Nothing can block the expression of the joy of the LORD. His joy and His love flow from the same fountain of grace; they are inseparable. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creation, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39 So friends, "come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms."
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim