The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

In Acts 2:28 we read: “Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance (Your Presence).

This word “joy” from the Greek euphrosune is rooted in its meaning – to be in a “right mind” – for us – the mind of Christ.

Then, in Isaiah 26: 3 & 4 we are told:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength…

We see “mind” is used again. Whose mind is stayed on Thee (God) has strength.

Mind on Him = Peace
Mind on Him = Strength
His Countenance (Presence) = Joy

Jesus = Peace, Strength, Joy

The Joy of our Strength is not a WHAT but rather a WHO.

The joy of knowing Christ Jesus is our strength, Nehemiah 8:10:

…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

To join us in prayer or to leave a comment, just click on the no comments / comments below:

Read Full Post »

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Gospel Preaching!

“We need to pledge ourselves anew to the cause of Christ. We must capture the spirit of the early church. Wherever the early Christians went, they made a triumphant witness for Christ. Whether on the village streets or in the city jails, they daringly proclaimed the good news of the gospel.”

“The God whom we worship is not a weak and incompetent God. He is able to beat back gigantic waves of opposition and to bring low prodigious mountains of evil. The ringing testimony of the Christian faith is that God is able.”

“By opening our lives to God in Christ, we become new creatures. This experience, which Jesus spoke of as the new birth, is essential if we are to be transformed nonconformists . . . Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit.”

“Like the early Christians, we must move into a sometime hostile world armed with the revolutionary gospel of Jesus Christ. With this powerful gospel we shall boldly challenge the status quo.”

“Christianity affirms that at the heart of reality is a Heart, a loving Father who works through history for the salvation of His children. Man cannot save himself, for man is not the measure of all things and humanity is not God. Bound by the chains of his own sin and finiteness, man needs a Savior.”

To join us in prayer or to leave a comment, just click on the no comments / comments below:

Read Full Post »