Category Archives: Joy

Abiding, Bible, Joy, Rejoicing, Return, Scripture

SHOUT FOR JOY

ZECHARIAH 2:10

“‘Shout for joy and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,’ declares the LORD.”

I can get excited about a lot of things, can’t you? I can yell and scream for my favorite team. I can shout for joy at the announcement of the birth of a grandbaby. I can even shout for joy during worship. Shouting for joy usually is associated with the arrival of something – a person, good news. What are you shouting for joy about?

The Lord tells the people it is time to shout for joy and rejoice? Why? Because He is coming! Wow! Can you imagine the smiles on the faces of these weary children of Israel? The great Jehovah is coming into their midst. He is returning to dwell among them. What a shout must have gone up at this news from Zechariah!

APPLICATION

Isaiah 12:6 says almost the same thing. “Shout and cry aloud for joy, O inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.” This wasn’t a new announcement – one that the people had not heard before, but it had been a while. In Albert Barnes’ commentary of Zechariah, he says this about this verse. “The source of joy is a fresh coming of God, a coming, whereby He should dwell abidingly among them: truly what is this, but the Incarnation? As John saith, ‘The Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us.’”

You know how sweet it is to dwell in His presence. There is just something special about getting up close and personal with the God of the universe. As a believer, He dwells in you in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 6:19. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

I am not my own. My body, my soul, my spirit all belong to Him. When God indwells you, He indwells all of you. No more hidden passageways. No more closets closed off to Him. He demands access to all of you. And when we surrender our all, the joy erupts. We can’t help but to shout for joy. Are you shouting for joy today?

There’ll be joy in the morning on that day!

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Bible, Joy, Reconciled, Rejoicing, Salvation, Scripture

HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU

ZEPHANIAH 3:17

“‘The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.’”

Children need their parents to show them praise. They need to know how proud their parents are of them. This can be done with words or deeds, but however it is done, it must be done. The absence of praise or rejoicing in a child’s life can have lifetime effects. Don’t underestimate how much your child needs this. They probably will never ask for it. Just do it.

Don’t you just love today’s verse? God, the One who made all things, the One who redeemed you from your sins, He rejoices over you. He rejoices over you with shouts of joy. Can you believe that? Shouldn’t we be doing that towards Him? Of course, we should. But He also rejoices over us. What a glorious thought!

APPLICATION

Those days when you are feeling lowly, remember this. He loves you with an everlasting love. His love is eternal. It will never end. There is nothing you can do to cause Him to stop loving you. He loved you while you were His enemy. Listen to these words from Paul in Romans 5:10-11. “10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

Did you catch that second verse? We also celebrate. So, while God is rejoicing over us with joy, we are rejoicing that we have been reconciled back to Him. We rejoice because He rejoices. He rejoices when we rejoice. Doesn’t that give you something to shout about today?

Celebrate Jesus today. He is celebrating you. He loves you so much and wants you to know that. If He were here today (and He is through His Holy Spirit), He would be telling you that to your face. Listen to the Spirit that is within you. He is telling you the same thing. “My beloved, I rejoice in you.”

I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You, O my soul rejoice.

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Abiding, Attitude, Bible, Exalting, Glory, Joy, Praise, Rejoicing, Scripture

SHOUT FOR JOY!

ZEPHANIAH 3:14

“‘Shout for joy, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, Israel! Rejoice and triumph with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!’”

I have been to Africa about 17 times, if my counting is correct. I love to hear my brothers and sisters sing and watch them dance before the Lord. To say they get a little excited is an understatement. The first time I heard the high pitched sound the women make with their tongues (called a tongue-wag), it shocked me. But now I just wish I could do it. It comes during a time of high praise for our God. It really is moving to me.

Here in Zephaniah 3:14 we see the Lord calling on the people to shout – for joy, in triumph. They are called to rejoice and triumph will all their hearts. God calls them the daughter of Zion, Israel and the daughter of Jerusalem. All three of those names point to a relationship with the Father. Did you know that “Israel” means contended with God and can be also said to mean triumphant with God? All reasons to shout for joy.

APPLICATION

How can you shout for joy today? I don’t mean to go outside and scream and scare your neighbors. I don’t mean jumping up and yelling “Jesus” at the top of your longs the next time you are church. I am talking about living your life in a manner that it shouts for joy. How do you do that?

I love 1 and 2 Peter. I quote them a lot because Peter gives us so many applicable words from the Lord. 2 Peter 1:3-4 is one of those passages. “3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.”

If those aren’t words to shout about, I don’t know what is. Let your life shout for joy today. Let your words, even in the quiet moments, shout for joy. Let your face shout for joy. In other words, let your whole being shout for joy. Fill your heart with joy by celebrating who you are in Christ.

I will shout and sing for joy to You, my great and mighty King.

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Bible, Despair, Joy, Modeling, Peace, Praise, Scripture, Singing

GLOOM, DESPAIR AND AGONY

ZEPHANIAH 1:15

“That day is a day of anger, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,”

Back in the 1970’s a comedy show hit the airwaves of the U.S. entitled “Hee Haw.” One of the songs that was sung regularly on the show was about gloom and despair. The lyrics were:

Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me

These words may not all fit today’s verse, but they sure come close to how someone who was facing the day of the Lord and His judgment would feel. Of course, it wasn’t about having bad luck. It was all about bad choices – specifically one – rejecting Jehovah in favor of idolatry and rebellion. That choice would certainly bring gloom, despair and agony.

APPLICATION

We who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior have no reason to worry about gloom, despair or agony. Our hope is in Him. Certainly, none of those words describe our Lord. He is joy, light and radiance. He brings peace and comfort. He exudes the glory of God.

So, why do so many Christians walk around singing that old Hee Haw song? They almost act like Eeyore, the donkey from Winnie the Pooh. Every time you see them all you hear about is how bad things are. They are children of the King, but they act like a lowly peasant who has been downtrodden and forgotten.

I choose to walk in victory. I choose to sing a different song. I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. He has put a new song in my heart. Will you sing with me? Will you praise His holy name? Let the world know about the joy you have because you have chosen to follow Jesus. They need to hear it and you need to proclaim it.

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!

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Bible, Blessing, Encouragement, Eternity, Glory, Heaven, Inspirational, Joy, Light, Promises, Salvation, Scripture

A SIGHT TO BEHOLD 

MICAH 7:9 

“I will endure the rage of the LORD because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, and I will look at His righteousness.” 

I remember the day I married my wife. I remember seeing her appear in the doorway of the sanctuary. It was the first time I had seen her in her wedding dress. She was beautiful. I watched her as she walked down the aisle, knowing that in a matter of minutes, we would be married. Joy was bubbling over. 

Micah seems to share a similar joy in knowing the LORD would bring him out to the light and he could look at His righteousness. Micah knows he is not worthy of such a sight, but the LORD has forgiven him of his sins and pleaded his case. Wow! What a sight to behold. 

APPLICATION 

One day we will see Jesus. Can you imagine? We all have a picture in our minds of what that will be like, but none of them come close to the actual. Jesus’ presence before us will be the culmination of our spiritual journey. We will be safely in His arms for eternity. 

I have had the privilege to see some magnificent sights – the flight of thousands of pink flamingos in Kenya, the sun rising out of the Atlantic Ocean, the birth of my children. Those are just a few. But none will compare to the sight of my Lord. Just like Micah, He has pleaded my case and has executed justice for me. 

I have been given the promise of eternity with my Lord. It will be a place that is lit by His radiance. The glory of God will be everywhere! I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to eternity. I am looking forward to seeing my Jesus. Are you? 

Thank You Lord, for the promise of eternal life with You. I cannot wait to see Your face.  

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Battles, Bible, Blessing, Drought, Fruit, Harvest, Hope, Joy, Rejoicing

DON’T BE A SCAREDY CAT

JOEL 2:22

“Do not fear, animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has produced its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.”

Have you ever been around feral cats? You can’t get near them. They come out of the barns or bushes and look at you, but if you make one step toward them, they disappear. They hunt constantly for food and always look scrawny and underfed. It’s hard to see any animal like that – even a cat, lol.

Joel is spreading good news to even the animals. They have been suffering for so long with the drought and the locusts. They haven’t seen anything green to eat in quite a while. Now the Lord is turning the pastures green. He is bringing forth the fruit of the trees and the vines. The animals should be dancing with joy.

APPLICATION

What has the Lord restored in your life? Do you remember times when your needs were great, and the Lord came through and met just what you needed? The Lord always comes through – every time. He may be late, according to our timetable. But He’s not late according to His. Listen to this verse. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”

Maybe you are going through a tough time right now and feel the Lord is not hearing your prayers. He is. I promise. Trust in His timetable. I am sure those people in Judah thought the Lord had forgotten them. But He showed up just when He planned. Our suffering is always to make us more like Him. Don’t complain about it. Embrace it and allow Him to bring you through.

I remember vividly the days after I came to Christ. The grass was greener, and the sky was bluer. I saw life for the first time in a long time. His promises are true. I learned I could trust Him. He brought me through some tough times to get me there. He has continued to bring me through. Each time I trust Him, He teaches me more.

O Mighty Father, I will wait on You. You have always come through and I know You always will.

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Bible, Blessing, Comfort, Direction, Disciplemaking, Drought, God's Will, Inspirational, Joy, Praise, Rejoicing

SHOUT FOR JOY

JOEL 2:21

“Do not fear, land; shout for joy and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things.”

I am a huge football fan, especially of the Georgia Bulldogs (Go DAWGS!). If it’s possible, I’m going to watch them play on. Saturdays. And when they are scoring and winning, I am shouting for joy. My wife thinks I’m crazy, but that’s okay. I love my DAWGS, and I’m going to support them every chance I get.

Joel isn’t talking about my DAWGS today, but he is talking about shouting for joy. In fact, he tells the land to not fear, but to shout for joy and rejoice. There’s been a period of mourning with the droughts and the locusts, but now the Lord is restoring the land. He says “for the Lord has done great things.” It is only because of the Lord. It is His workings.

APPLICATION

Do you feel like shouting? Can you rejoice in the great things the Lord has done in your life? You may not feel much like shouting for joy. Perhaps you have been in a period of mourning. But the Lord has still done great things. Look around you. I bet you can point out several things He has done for you lately. Rejoice in them.

It is often in our lowest moments that we can see His handiwork. The Lord comes down to us to lift us up. And He often teaches us very important life lessons when we are at our lowest. That may seem crazy, but it’s true. I know it’s been true in my life. So, take a moment and look around. Ask the Lord to reveal them to you.

When I was going through my first stem cell transplant in 2010, the Lord taught me to trust Him. My faith grew exponentially during those months. In 2020 during my second stem cell transplant, the Lord taught me the importance of being a godly example to others. He wanted to use me to show others how to trust. It wasn’t about me at all. For those lessons, I rejoice. Will you rejoice for yours?

I thank You, Lord, for all the lessons You have taught me in my life. I praise Your holy name.

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Abiding, Advice, Battles, Bible, Joy, Judgment, Modeling, Testimony

NO JOY

JOEL 1:16

“Has food not been cut off before our eyes, and joy and rejoicing from the house of our God?”

There have been times in my life when my joy thermometer didn’t register very high. Things were going wrong all around me. Every ounce of joy was gone. Nothing made me happy. I snapped at people, and it seemed everyone got on my nerves. Those are not fun times. I’ll tell you what I found in a sec.

Joel is telling Judah that they are going to experience the same thing. No joy! No rejoicing! Everything is wrong. But Joel is pointing them towards the reason why. Their disobedience. True joy never precedes obedience. Because of their disobedience to God, their joy was gone. Judgment was upon them.

APPLICATION

Those time I mentioned about me – I had the same problem. When I began to look at myself, I saw that I wasn’t spending the time I needed in prayer or in God’s Word. I was letting the worries of this life come in and choke me. I was too busy looking at myself instead of looking towards my Savior.

Have you had similar times? Take your eyes off of yourself. Dig deep in His Word. He will restore your joy. In fact, the joy never left you. His joy indwells you when come to Him as Savior. We just let stuff cover it up. Shake off all those thoughts and concentrate on what He has done for you. I promise the joy will erupt.

Joyless living is not living at all. We need to be spreading the joy of Jesus to everyone every day. They need to know we are Christians by the expressions on our faces. Our smiles should tell them. Then when they ask why we are so happy, we can tell them it’s not happiness. It’s joy, and here’s why we are joyful. Try it today.

Thank You, Lord, for restoring my joy. Thank You for giving me a joy-filled life.

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Abiding, Advice, Bible, Blessing, Comfort, Devil, Encouragement, Joy, Scripture

DEHYDRATED

JOEL 1:12

“The vine has dried up and the fig tree has withered; the pomegranate, the palm also, and the apple tree, all the trees of the field have dried up. Indeed, joy has dried up from the sons of mankind.

Dehydration can cause all kinds of health problems. Most people don’t drink enough water, myself included. I like to drink water. It’s just easier sometimes to grab a coke or a glass of sweet tea (okay, I’m from the South, give me a break, lol). But nothing rehydrates you like water. Your body needs it.

Joel uses the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate tree, the palm tree and the apple tree as examples. But he wasn’t really talking about trees. Look at the last phrase of the verse. “Indeed, joy has dried up…” That’s the issue. Their joy had dried up. Joyless living is no living at all. Joel knew that. God knows that. Joy is necessary for a spirit-filled life.

APPLICATION

I pray you have joy in your life right now and that you are not spiritually dehydrated. I don’t mean you have to go around shouting “joy” all the time. Nor do you have to sing out loud constantly. Real joy from Christ is inexpressible. In fact, if you are walking in joy, you probably don’t have to say a word. Everyone around you will know it. It shows on your face.

So, why do most of us walk around in the dumps? Why do we seem so defeated? Because we believe the lies of the devil. He is constantly berating us. He doesn’t like joy. He loves sorrow. He loves to suck the joy right out of your life, living you spiritually dehydrated. You can kick ole Beelzebub right in the teeth by living joyously. He hates that. And who doesn’t want to punch him in the mouth, right?

I have to admit. There are days I live victoriously and joyously and others I don’t. Every time I find myself not living in joy, it’s because I have not spent the time I needed in prayer and in His Word. Those two things will do more for your joy than anything. You don’t need to be part of some emotionally charged worship service to get joy. Just do what He expects and surrender. The joy will come. Rehydrate with joy!

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart. I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.

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NO LIFE

HOSEA 9:11

“As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!”

I have the privilege to be the father of two great kids. They are grown now, but I can still remember the moment my wife and I learned we were going to have a child. Each pregnancy was a joy (not counting my wife’s morning sickness). We couldn’t wait for the day of their birth. I was actually in the room both times. It was amazing!

For Ephraim, their glory was gone. They couldn’t experience the joy of the Lord because they had forsaken Him. Their actions against Jehovah had caused Him to withdraw His blessings. Just like barren wombs with no conception, no pregnancy and no birth, there was sorrow. No hope! No life! No future!

APPLICATION

What is your life centered on? If it’s not the Lord, then you too are in despair. I’m not in despair, Carl. My life is going just fine. Oh really? Any life not centered on Jesus is headed for disaster. Yes, I said disaster. We can pretend everything is fine. We may believe all is well, but it’s not.

God will not bless those who are not following Him. He just can’t. It would go against His whole person. If He blessed everyone for just doing their own thing, then His commandments and statutes would be meaningless. God demands holiness, but He gives us the means to live that way. As Peter says in 2 Peter 1:3, it’s His divine power that gives us everything we need to live that way. And when we do, He loves to bless us.

I try to live my life to honor Him. I don’t do it perfectly. I never will, but I certainly strive to do that. I want to experience the joy of the Lord. Don’t you want that same joy? I know you do. I pray today you can know Him fully, that you can be filled with so much joy that it just overflows.Thank You, Lord, for life. Thank You for giving me such joy. Help me spread it to others.

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