"The Joy of the Lord!"

 "Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!" (Ecclesiastes 10:17 KJV)

  "Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, "Don't mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God." For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the law. And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!"" (Nehemiah 8:9-10 NLT)

 Before this gets too far gone, let me say it again: There are two very distinct ways to see what is being said, if, that is you are willing to take this as something which is meant to change the human heart. From the very beginning of the message, Solomon has been illustrating two totally different ways to accept what is happening on this earth; one is through the eyes of those who are earth-dwellers, the other, through the eyes of those believing in God, looking forward to something far greater than this earth! 

 You can choose to accept it or reject it; but no matter what you might believe, in the end you will know the truth, but by then it will be too late to make your choice; it will be judgment time! Much like this verse of encouragement in Nehemiah: when you read and understand the word of God, there will need to be a time to rejoice! There is joy in knowing God's love and will for us, because He truly does care for us, more than we could ever realize, while living here on this earth. 

 From the very beginning, when Adam and Eve lived in the garden, God's one simple law, "Don't eat of that fruit," was not something that satisfied them, but instead, it caused them to feel the need for more, as if God was holding something back from them. Exactly, just what the serpent told them! 

 It is all about making the right choices! If you do what God says to do, then you will experience great peace and joy; but if you don't, you will be lost and afraid, missing out on all the blessings...

"Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper. rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light." So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." (Ephesians 5:10-17 NLT)