Nehemiah 8: 10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
These words were written when Nehemiah and the Levites were reading the Book of the Law to al all the people of Israel, after they had returned to their country. The people were weeping, as they listened to the words of the Law.
I don't remember this verse making an impact on me before, but it was in my devotional reading today. There are two things that stood out to me: First, they were weeping as they were listening the words from the Law. and second, Nehemiah instructed them to eat and rejoice, because it was a special day, sacred to the Lord. But he also told them to give food to those who did not have any.
Verse 12 says, Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food, and to celebrate with great joy, because they NOW UNDERSTOOD the words that had been made known to them.
My prayer for myself today, is that I would never take the Word of God for granted, but that I would weep and rejoice because He has given me understanding of His Word, and that He would give me a hunger and thirst to study more that I might learn more of Him. With that understanding comes a responsibility to share the wonderful good news of the gospel with those around me.
I also realize that I have been blessed beyond anything I could think or imagine; and I want to be a vessel that the Lord can use to supply not only physical food or other needs as He leads me to do so, but also be a source of spiritual encouragement and blessing to those I come in contact with.
This day, December 225th, is a day that has been set aside for us to celebrate the birth of our Lord, and to thank Him for the salvation and fellowship that He provided for us through His death on the cross. As we celebrate, let's thank the Lord, for giving us His Word, to give us guidance, comfort, and encouragement!
I rejoice in you today, Lord, for the salvation that You made possible. As Nehemiah said, truly the joy of the Lord is my strength!
1 comment:
Truthfully this was a lovely post Donna. I just have had a difficult time focusing on anything this Christmas. Which is completely not like me. I didn't even go to church but I just can't be around a lot of people yet. Mom and I went to church together a lot and it's just to raw right now. Love Di
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