Song of the Day
“Free (This Joy)”, by Life.Church
Devotional thought
Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!
Psalm 32:11 (NET 2nd ed.)
God is working for your good! He is a promise-keeping God and as the Psalmist says, this is why everyone who is morally upright should shout for joy!
Salvation and freedom produce joy in the hearts of all who have been transformed by the Lord’s power within us! See, Psalm 32:10 ends with this beautiful phrase:
…the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.
Psalm 32:10(b)
This after verse 3-5 declare a testimony of the Psalmist finding the forgiveness of God through confession. God delivered him from the pain of sin and forgave the iniquity of his sin. This is what produced such joy and the desire to shout out praises to God!
Making the personal connection
Catch the connection between freedom from sin’s influence and the joy we experience in knowing we are forgiven and delivered! Have you made that connection yet?
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work within us (Gal 5:22), the byproduct of hope (Romans 15:13), the result of being in the presence of God (Ps 16:11), and when one is freed through the experience of salvation there is an overflow of joy (Ps 51:12)!
God’s presence and delivering strength produces hope within us and is reason for those who believe in Him to overflow with joy everlasting! To rejoice always, and I say – REJOICE in the freedom you have in Christ!
Questions for Reflection
- Do you have joy in your life?
- What is the source of your joy?
- Are you experiencing freedom and hope in your life through Jesus Christ?
Prayer
God of hope and joy, I praise You for the freedom I have because of Your faithful and loyal love toward me! I seek You and Your continual presence in my life. I desire to remain near to You and to experience the joy that comes from Your presence.
Holy Spirit increase the joy within me and do not allow me to have unconfessed sin in my life that robs me of the joy and freedom I have in Christ my Savior. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scripture to reflect upon
(Please hover, or click onto, the Scriptures to read the specified text!)
- Psalm 70:4,
- 2 Corinthians 3:17,
- Psalm 51:12,
- Psalm 32,
- Galatians 5:22,
- Romans 15:13,
- Psalm 16:11,