The Joy of God

Our God is a joyful God. In Nehemiah, we see that the Israelites wept as they heard the law because often when we are reading the Word and exposed to the truth that lays inside, we become convicted after realizing how our love of the world has interfered with our love relationship with Christ. We then attempt to allow the guilt and shame to hinder our motivation and transformation. However, guilt may be a "good" motivator, but it certainly is a poor sustainer. Ezra then tells the Israelites to not mourn nor weep - it is the joy of the Lord that is our strength.In the second part of Jeff's Favorite Scriptures, Jeff emphasizes how we must choose Jesus in order for the joy along with the rest of the fruit of the Spirit.