Gladness and strength.....

Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish.

Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is strength for the upright, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

Here are two things that we can be blessed with from the Lord, He is the giver of these two things, and He wants us to have them in our lives day by day. Gladness and strength.

1. Gladness. First of all, this is not because we have earned this, or that we are righteous by our good deeds, but rather, as God's people who have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ......Gladness what is it? It means to be of a merry heart. It speaks of a glad result, or a happy issue, to have joy, the joy of God in our lives. This is our hope. We can hope for, expect this joy in our lifetime here on earth, and then for eternity. Maybe you don't have joy at the moment. More about that in just a moment...

2. Strength. The word here means, fortress, a place of safety, protection, refuge, a harbor, a stronghold. We are told that strength is the way of the Lord. Or that in the way of the Lord, in our following Him, abiding in Him, etc, He will be our strength, He will give us strength, He will be that refuge and protection for our lives.

Back to gladness.....and for those who today, may have sadness instead. What can we say. The verse says the HOPE of the righteous is gladness.

As with many things in life, we must wait for them. That's exactly what hope means here. It means to wait, to expect, to tarry, to wait for, to hope for.

Waiting is Biblical. Many times God's people are encouraged to wait upon the Lord.

Here's just one example.........

Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Sometimes the Lord has us in a place of just waiting. We have God's promise in Isa 40:31, that renewed strength will come, mounting up with wings as of eagles, running and not weary, walking and not fainting. Sure sounds like gladness to me.

Father, we may be those in need of gladness and strength today, or someone else who is reading this devotional today may be in need. We pray for ourselves, we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, bring that gladness, give that strength today Lord. Give grace to just wait upon You. And, Lord there may be some of us today who are abounding with gladness and a renewed sense of strength, we thank YOU for those blessings in our lives. May it show in our faces and in our words today......bless those we come in contact with.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises.

1. We can wait upon God.

2. We can expect God to come through.

3. We can say thank You Lord for coming through for us.

4. We ask the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh this very moment.

5. We may be walking in that gladness and strength today.

6. We can help others by walking in love towards them.

7. He is the giver of these blessings.

8. He will do it, because He is faithful.

When you don’t want to do God’s will for your life.

If your feeling this way, you are not alone. Even our Lord Jesus Christ experienced this very thing in His own life.

As you can see from Mark 14:36 it says, “And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will”

When Jesus was facing the cross, in one sense He did not want to go through with it. It’s a mystery to us, because in other places in the Bible its speaks of Jesus coming into the world to do just that thing, to go to the cross to die for our sins and bring us salvation. But, in another sense, it’s clear that He did not want to go through with it. So, your not alone. But, please notice what He did. He said nevertheless, which means, yet, or notwithstanding, and rather. It’s a word of transition.

It means, I don’t want to do one thing, but let me move to another thought. And that thought is, regardless of what I want, I will do what You want me to do. And that is my supreme desire, it’s to carry out Your will.

So, the next time you are conflicted about doing the will of God, may God help you to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Don’t focus on what you don’t want to do, but rather on what God wants you to do. Ask God to help you. He will give you the grace in that moment.

Father, many things are easier said then done. And, this may be one of them. But, we know Lord, that when You call us to something, we are able to do it. Not by our strength, but by Yours.

In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Applicational thoughts

1. God’s grace is sufficient to help us.

2. When we are at the end of our rope, there is no where to turn but to God.

3. Be encouraged, remember times in the past when God has delivered you.

4. Don’t be condemned, many others have had the same experience.

5. Remember, there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus

6. God is Your helper, be patient, He will help you.