The hope of the righteous is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked perishes.Proverbs 10:28 NASB Gladness – Of course, joy must confront the inequity of human living. Far too often it seems the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. Far too often justice appears to have taken a holiday. Biblical authors often address the apparent contradiction of a…
The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Luke 8:35 NASB In his right mind– “If you sum up what people tell you…
O clap your hands, all peoples; shout to God with the voice of joy. Psalm 47:1 NASB A note about Friday’s post: As you probably guessed, we have on-going issues with the service we use to send out the daily emails. Friday was another missed Today’s Word. Then it went out on Saturday, which was not supposed to…
So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. Acts 5:41 NASB Rejoicing– When the disciples were beaten and instructed no longer to proclaim Yeshua as Messiah, they reacted in a way that is not easily understood. They rejoiced. This seems particularly strange given…
“There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; Deuteronomy 33:26-27a NASB Everlasting arms – “And, of course, one of the things we must listen for is joy. It’s hard to…
You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. Isaiah 9:3 NASB Gladness– One English dictionary defines joy as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” As you can readily see, this definition follows the Greek conflation of chará and hēdonḗ (rejoicing and pleasure). It’s typical…
It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. Luke 6:12 NASB Whole night– Have you ever spent a whole night in prayer? Perhaps you’ve participated in a prayer vigil or taken a shift in a community event. But that’s not what this…
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,”James 1:2 NASB Joy– I don’t think we listen to James. We simply do not regard trials as joyful. I don’t regard trials as joyful. If I really look at my own emotional response to James’ instructions, I discover that his words don’t penetrate my heart. Trials…
For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us.1 Thessalonians 2:18 NASB Satan– What was the first century Jewish view of “Satan”? Why does Paul refer to Satan when he writes to the Thessalonians? Where did the idea come from? For most contemporary believers, Satan is as real as it gets. He and…
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.1 Kings 3:10 NIV Was pleased – Something odd is happening. We examined the fact that Solomon’s request was not about “right and wrong,” but rather about “good and evil.” That seems to be an ominous portent of his future idolatry. Human beings are not equipped to…
