February 9th

February 9th

Read: 1 Peter 1:6-9; Psalm 51:9-12; Isaiah 35:10; John 15:11

Peter understood joy. He had failed and then been forgiven and restored to fellowship with Jesus. His was not a surface happiness because circumstances were good all the time. No, his was a bubbling spring of all he knew of life in Jesus Christ. It bubbled over in his life to flow out to others.

Isaiah understood it too, realizing that a soul must be ransomed before it could know joy. David knew that he had to be forgiven of his sins and clean in his life in order to be joyful. How joyful are you?

“JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY”

Fullness of joy by Spirit sent
Doth occupy my heart.
Where is no room for selfish thought
Nor place where tears may start.

When sadness comes, ’tis crowded out;
Fear cannot breach the door.
No one can take God’s joy from me;
‘Tis mine forevermore.

I must not clutch this precious joy
Tight-held against my breast;
I must release it to the world
By every thought expressed.

I could not damn His joy within,
For it must overflow
In all I do and all I say 
And everywhere I go.

But, as joy spills from out my heart,
More rapture rushes in!
My source of joy will ne’er depart 
For Jesus lives within.

Prayer: Father, forgive me my sins and help me to be clean through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died that I might be forgiven and know such joy as Peter knew.