ENJOY THE JOY OF THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

Proclamation:

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.  You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand."  Psalms 16:9-11 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  After beginning this psalm with a one line prayer, David goes on to recount how The Lord has blessed him, and then he restates his commitment to The Lord.  Then he states how glad he is that The Lord has kept him, shown him the right path to take, and filled him with joy.

Application:
We can learn a lot from David.  The first thing that we should learn is that a prayer does not have to be lengthy in order to be effective. (Psalms 16:1)  Maybe if we prayed more often, then our prayers would not have to be so long.  The second thing we can learn is to praise The Lord more often for the good things that He has done for us and for others. (Psalms 16:2-3)  We need to be grateful for what we have already been blessed to receive. (Psalms 16:5-6)  Then we need to listen to, and obey the counsel and instruction of The Lord, and we should always keep The Word of God before us. (Psalms 16:7-8)  God has blessed us, and we should be glad. (Psalms 16:9)  He has shown us the right path to take, and His Word is the light unto the right pathway. (Psalms 16:11 and Psalms 119:105)  The joy that He has given to us, cannot be taken from us. (John 17:13)  He is always with us, and in His presence there is complete joy. (Psalms 16:11)  There is no greater joy than the joy we experience in the presence of The Lord.

May God Fill You With Joy And Peace

"May The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of The Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Christians in the church in Rome that he was wishing God's blessings upon them.  He wished them joy and peace and hope, by the power of The Holy Spirit.

Joy is a gift from God.  Jesus said "If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love.  I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:10-11)  Jesus also said "... and no one will take away your joy." (John 16:22)  As the song says, "... This joy that I have, the world didn't give it, and the world can't take it away."  Also, only with the help of God can we count everything that happens in this life as joy. (James 1:2)  And the only real peace is God's perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3)  The only way to be blessed with the gifts of  joy and peace, is to believe and obey The Word of God, because both of them are gifts from God through The Holy Spirit.

Having The Complete Joy Of Jesus

"As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:9-11 (NIV)

After telling His disciples that He would soon leave them, Jesus comforts them by saying that The Holy Spirit would come and be with them. He also said that if they continue to follow His teachings, that they would experience His joy and that their joy would be complete joy.

Jesus makes it clear that obedience is the basis for experiencing joy. His joy was based upon His obedience to the will of His Father. Our joy is based upon our being obedient to His word. We can have the ultimate and complete joy of Jesus. And this joy, the world can't give it to you, and the world can't take it away from you.