Nehemiah continued: Go and feast with a banquet of delicious foods and sweet drinks, and give away portions of food to those who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Do not be discouraged or sad because the joy of the Lord is your strength!
Staying in the Lord in a life of communion and being in His presence is the source of joy, which is inexhaustible because it does not depend on me ... but on God.
Happiness is caused by the things that happen around me and circumstances can ruin it, but joy shines through problems, it is a light in the dark. Joy is the smile of the soul that is not affected by people or circumstances.
God is a God of joy, a 'happy God', if we could put it that way. He rejoices in His creation and in a special way rejoices in the salvation of lost sinners. If we are children of God, then we are attuned to His personality and with His heart and that is how we are also characterized with joy. This joy comes from God and is delivered through the Holy Spirit to every Christian. "The joy of the Lord" should characterize our service and our worship. It is a joy that will be much greater in heaven, a joy in which we will enter there in heaven. For Christians, joy is not an option, because we have been commanded to experience and express joy, as Christians.
