“You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Psalm 45:7 (NKJV)
We want to be a joyful people. We want to enter into the joy of the Lord because the joy of the Lord is our strength. If the devil can steal your joy, he will steal your strength.
Have you noticed that evil people—wicked men and women—are not very joyful? It shows on their faces and in their attitudes. They are full of despair and hopelessness. Why? Because they do not love righteousness, and they don’t hate wickedness. The way to live in joy is to love righteousness and hate wickedness. Sin puts people in a place of despair and despondency.
Look, instead, at the faces of people who are free from sin. Have you ever noticed the face of a person who has just accepted Jesus Christ as Savior? There is such joy and happiness that radiates from someone who has experienced the new birth. Sometimes it looks like 20 years have just been instantaneously wiped away—like a divine face lift. But even better—it’s a divine FAITH LIFT!
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank You that the joy of the Lord is our strength. We enter this day with the strength of the Lord, and we will worship You and praise You throughout the day.
In Jesus’s Name,
Amen.
