FLOOD IN YOUR SOUL

Verse for Today: Sunday, October 24, 2010

Psalms 1:1 - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

After going through the sad and tearful account of man's utter depravity in the Old Testament Books of the Bible from Genesis to Job, when we open the book of Psalms, we are ushered into a beautiful scene of bright hope. The Psalms show us that In spite of all our failures and weaknesses, there is hope for a blissful future for us which is not centred on circumstances which witnessed our failures. No matter what tearful situations we encountered in the past, there is hope for us to be happy and joyful in this life. This blessedness comes to us through the bliss brought to us by God through the sacrificial death of His Son on the cross of Calvary. He showed us the way to be blissful even on the cross. He was a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, for He came to take our sorrows and grief away. He showed the way to happiness by taking a public stand on all human failures. He showed how a person could walk in the counsel of the godly and not the wicked. He showed where and how a person could stand except in the way of the sinners. He exemplified a life which endured mockery, but would not sit on the seat of the mockers to gain any temporary gains in this life. He was joyful in the midst of false witness, mockery, persecution, injustice and ingratitude. He found joy in what He was going through for us and saw our joy in His heart. If we follow His example and learn from Him about the way to be happy in spite of sad circumstances and grieving experiences, our lives will also be full of bliss.

Dear reader, are you a weary soul today, with burdens in your heart and tears in your eyes? There is no need for you to loose hope. There is a place of rest and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you ask Him, He will give you the peace that passes all understanding about your circumstances. He will help you to heal the wounds people and circumstances inflicted on you. If friends forsake you, go to Him for grace and He will hold your hands to walk with Him in the lonely pathways of this world. He will tell you what He endured when all His friends forsook Him and how they all ran away from Him. He will tell you how you can be blissful even when the whole world rejects you and how His grace will be sufficient for you to face the stark realities of life today. The joy that He gives is not centered on some seemingly pleasant circumstances, because some unexpected wind could come and blow away your joy. But if your joy is centered on the Lord Jesus, it will linger with you no matter who does what to you for any reason or no reason. Joseph had this kind of joy when he was imprisoned for no fault of his. Paul had this joy when he was unlawfully put in a dungeon, but because of it he could write letters of joy. Peter had abundance of this joy which made him sleep sound just a few hours before he was expected to be executed. The same joy, which is the joy of the Lord, is invested in our hearts and the Lord expects it to grow and enlarge as we go through more and more trials and tests. In trying times, it is this joy of the Lord which keeps us going in our sojourn. Today let this joy of the Lord emanate from our hearts and lives to those who live in the shadow of broken harts and tears, and strengthen them. This joy is the greatest strength and legacy that we can pass on to the world around us which is full of tears, heartaches, disappointments, frustrations and despair. Let the joy of the Lord flood our souls today and overflow to the sad world around us and brighten its face.

Philippians 3:1 - Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!

Thought for Today
True blessedness is joy unspeakable above and beyond all circumstances.

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