Morning, March 26
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“I told you that I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.”  — John 18:8
Bible League: Living His Word
For the joy of the Lord is your strength.
— Nehemiah 8:10 NIV

Joy is a good feeling in the soul. It is internal, produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the Word and the world.

Joy is rooted in who God is. It is not fleeting or based on circumstances. The Bible teaches us that the source of all joy is based on following Jesus Christ. In Philippians 4:4 it is written, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Paul tells Christians that expressing joy is an attitude that should be constant, not temporary. When Paul wrote this verse he was in prison after being wrongly accused, and yet he found reasons to focus on rejoicing. Every believer, therefore, should seek to rejoice in the Lord despite difficult situations, just as Paul did.

The key to the Christian's joy is its source, which is the Lord. If we are one with Christ, we will always find joy in Him. There is always a reason for joy and a room to be grateful. Hence, we take comfort in the very fact that since he never leaves or forsakes us, we can rejoice always.

In conclusion, our true joy as Christians is deeply rooted in Christ. As long as we are walking with Christ in truth and with our whole being, we will always find joy in him despite facing challenges.

By Onismo Goronga, Bible League International partner, Zimbabwe
Bible in a Year
Old Testament Reading
Joshua 16, 17, 18


Joshua 16 -- Territory of Ephraim Allotted

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


Joshua 17 -- Territory of Manasseh Allotted

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


Joshua 18 -- Remainder Divided; The Territory of Benjamin Allotted

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


New Testament Reading
Luke 5:1-16


Luke 5 -- Jesus Calls First Disciples, Heals the Leper and Paralytic, Calls Matthew, Questioned about Fasting

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library.
Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion
I was glad when they said to me,
        “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
Insight
Going to God's house can be a chore or a delight. For the psalmist, it was a delight. As a pilgrim attending one of the three great religious festivals, he rejoiced to worship with God's people in God's house.
Challenge
We may find worship a chore if we have unconfessed sin or if our love for God has cooled. But if we are close to God and enjoy his presence, we will be eager to worship and praise him. Our attitude toward God will determine our view of worship.
Morning and Evening by Spurgeon
John 18:8  Jesus said unto them, If ye seek me, let these go their way.

Mark, my soul, the care which Jesus manifested even in his hour of trial, towards the sheep of his hand! The ruling passion is strong in death. He resigns himself to the enemy, but he interposes a word of power to set his disciples free. As to himself, like a sheep before her shearers he is dumb and opened not his mouth, but for his disciples' sake he speaks with almighty energy. Herein is love, constant, self-forgetting, faithful love. But is there not far more here than is to be found upon the surface? Have we not the very soul and spirit of the atonement in these words? The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, and pleads that they must therefore go free. The Surety is bound, and justice demands that those for whom he stands a substitute should go their way. In the midst of Egypt's bondage, that voice rings as a word of power, "Let these go their way." Out of slavery of sin and Satan the redeemed must come. In every cell of the dungeons of Despair, the sound is echoed, "Let these go their way," and forth come Despondency and Much-afraid. Satan hears the well-known voice, and lifts his foot from the neck of the fallen; and Death hears it, and the grave opens her gates to let the dead arise. Their way is one of progress, holiness, triumph, glory, and none shall dare to stay them in it. No lion shall be on their way, neither shall any ravenous beast go up thereon. "The hind of the morning" has drawn the cruel hunters upon himself, and now the most timid roes and hinds of the field may graze at perfect peace among the lilies of his loves. The thunder-cloud has burst over the Cross of Calvary, and the pilgrims of Zion shall never be smitten by the bolts of vengeance. Come, my heart, rejoice in the immunity which thy Redeemer has secured thee, and bless his name all the day, and every day.

Daily Light on the Daily Path
Matthew 23:14,13  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. • "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Romans 6:16  Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

1 Corinthians 12:11,7  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. • But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Peter 4:10  As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

1 Corinthians 4:2  In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

Luke 12:48  but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

2 Corinthians 2:16  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.

Evening March 25
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