Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” I love food. Food is a motif throughout Scripture both for physical providence and for joy. God provided manna for the Israelites so they might live (Exodus 16) and the Scriptures speak on a joyful feast…
Luke 15:10, “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Joy has many faces. The new parents celebrate the birth of their first child—indeed, their second and third. The joy on a lover’s face when a man asks her to marry him. The joy on a…
Nehemiah 8:8-10, They read from the book, from the law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD…
Genesis 6:19; 7:17, 24, “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.” …The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the…
Mark 10:17-22, And as He was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder,…
Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.” Misery is a dangerous condition for a Christian to be in. It is one of Satan’s greatest tactics to use against God’s people. When you become Christian, you catch Satan’s attention…
Verse 1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing. In the Lutheran hymnal, the title comes from Luke 2:10, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be…
