February 17 Devotion - Joy and Grace

هذا هو اليوم الذي صنعه الرب. نبتهج ونفرح فيه.

This is the day the LORD has made;
         We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Today is a gift. That is why they call it the ‘present’. Let us rejoice in it.

The Greek word in the Bible for ‘joy’ is ‘chara’ and the verb is ‘charein’ which is often translated ‘to rejoice’. Closely related is the word ‘charis’ which is translated to be ‘grace’.

I believe it is ‘Charis’ that produces ‘Chara’ or in English, it is ‘Grace’ that produces ‘Joy’. Understanding the word of God increases our appreciation of His Grace, and our feeling of Joy.

The Apostle Paul was feeling joy while being held prisoner in a dungy Roman prison cell and from there he told us to:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

افْرَحُوا فِي الرَّبِّ دَائِماً، وَأَقُولُ أَيْضاً: افْرَحُوا.

Philippians 4:4

My belief is that The Apostle Paul probably felt God’s grace so powerfully that it overshadowed all the negative feelings of being chained in a Roman prison to the point that he actually felt joy.

Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

كلمتكم بهذا لكي يثبت فرحي فيكم ويكمل فرحكم

John 15:11

All through the Bible we see evidence of God wanting us to be joyful, irrespective of the situation. Let’s concentrate on God’s grace and the magnitude of His love for us expressed through His grace. That on its own is reason enough for quantum joy.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for loving me with a deep and everlasting love, thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Lord, thank You that You gave me today as a present for me to rejoice in. Fill me God totally and envelop me with Your Grace, so that I can feel an inner joy independent of circumstances. Jesus I long for and pray that Your Joy remains in me and that my Joy be full. God I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your Holy Name. In the Holy Name of Jesus my Lord and Saviour I pray. To Him be the glory and the power and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein