El Simchath Gili – God, my Exceeding Joy. Psalm 43:4 (KJV) Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. (NCV) Then I will go to the altar of God, to God who is my joy and happiness. I will praise you with a harp, God, my God. (TLB) There I will go to the altar of God, my exceeding joy, and praise him with my harp. O God—my God! (MSG) To enter the place of worship, meet my exuberant God, Sing my thanks with a harp, magnificent God, my God. The Lord is a God of joy, gladness, mirth, gaiety, pleasure, delight, exceeding joy. His desire for us is that we experience His joy to the fullness so that despite the circumstances, in the midst of our afflictions, we may always rejoice and be merry-hearted. We should be able to say as the Psalmist that God is the gladness of my joy, “the joy of my youth,”; He “who makes my youth joyous”. God is the source of my joy, in Him is found all my happiness. David said that He is not his joy alone, but his exceeding joy; not the fountain of joy, the giver of joy, or the maintainer of joy, but that joy itself. Can we say that God is the soul, the essence, the very bowels of our joy? To draw near to God, who is such a joy to us, may well be the object of our hungering and thirsting...” When God fills us with joy we ought ever to pour it out at his feet in praise, and all the skill and talent we have should be laid under contribution to increase the divine revenue of glory. We ought to give Him our best music for He is our best love He will get as near as he can unto God, his exceeding joy. Those that come unto God must come to Him as their exceeding joy, not only as their future bliss, but as their present joy, and that not a common, but an exceeding joy, far exceeding all the joys of sense and time. They must come unto God the gladness of their joy, or of their triumph. Whatever we rejoice or triumph in God must be the joy of it; all our joy in it must terminate in Him, and must pass through the gift to the giver. When we come to God as our exceeding joy our comforts in Him must be the matter of our praises to Him as God, and our God: 7 Ways to Cultivate Joy Want more joy in your day? Cultivate it! Joy springs from viewing the days events from eternitys perspective. With this intentional focus, youre sure to see today differently — with more joy and conviction that God is at work in your life. 1. Rehearse with God the reasons you trust Him. Tell Him which of His attributes is your favorite right now. Read the praises of Scripture back to Him — begin with Psalms 103:1. Join with another believer in prayers of thanksgiving, and delight yourself in His character. 2. Keep a joy journal. Record the reasons you have to rejoice and the reminders of Gods faithfulness that you encounter in your everyday life. In addition, why not press a leaf from your prayer walks into its pages or include a photo of a person that brings you joy each time you remember him or her? Think big — expand your journal into a joy box or a joy drawer that brings floods of joy each time you open it. 3. Surround yourself with joyful people. Joy is contagious — so build relationships with friends whose lives exhibit their confidence in God. Pray for each other that your joy in Christ would continue to increase. 4. Approach lifes challenges and trials redemptively. God doesnt waste the difficult circumstances of your life but uses them to develop His character in you. Review Romans 5:1 andJames 1:1 for help in processing pressure productively. Joy will sneak up on you when you view your hardest lessons as gifts from God. 5. Make praise and gratitude a habit. Has God met a need? Praise Him! Have your challenges given you greater opportunities to see Him work? Thank Him! Joy flows from a grateful and responsive heart. Before you turn in at night, write down three to five blessings in your joy journal. Make it a habit, and watch your joyful attitude grow. 6. Fill your mind with music. Listen to, sing, and meditate on music that draws your heart nearer to God and His Word. 7. Take the long view. Investors advise their clients not to worry about the daily ups and downs of the stock market — what matters is the long view. Does life present incredible challenges today? Are your reserves at a low, or are you enjoying a content plateau? Regardless of todays events, take the long view. Remember that God remains in charge of your days and will faithfully develop His character in you. Knowing God as the author, the finisher and the very essence of out joy will allow us to always rejoice SCRIPTURE REFERENCES Psalm 39:14, 42:6, 42:12, 43:3-5, 71:23; Isaiah 61:10; Habakkuk 3:17-18; Hosea 9:5; Romans 5:11;
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 08:26:17 +0000
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