The Joy of Jesus is a Reason for Hope

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.[b] Of David.
1 I will exalt you, LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 LORD my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.

4 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 LORD, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;
LORD, be my help.”

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

The Joy of Jesus is a Special Love

God’s Love For Us
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. - Deuteronomy 7:9

For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. . . - Psalm 37:28

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. - Proverbs 8:17

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. – 1 John 4:9-11

Praise God Today....

The Joy of Jesus is Love

1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tonguesa]" of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

The Joy of Jesus is God's Word

The Word of God is Our Salvation:

The Psalms
119

The Excellencies of God's Law
ALEPH
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way,

who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,

and that seek him with the whole heart.
3 They also do no iniquity:

they walk in his ways.
4 Thou hast commanded us

to keep thy precepts diligently.
5 O that my ways were directed

to keep thy statutes!
6 Then shall I not be ashamed,

when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart,

when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
8 I will keep thy statutes:

O forsake me not utterly.
BETH
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee:

O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart,

that I might not sin against thee.
12 Blessed art thou, O LORD:

teach me thy statutes.
13 With my lips have I declared

all the judgments of thy mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies,

as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate in thy precepts,

and have respect unto thy ways.
16 I will delight myself in thy statutes:

I will not forget thy word.
GIMEL
17 Deal bountifully with thy servant,

that I may live, and keep thy word.
18 Open thou mine eyes,

that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
19 I am a stranger in the earth:

hide not thy commandments from me.
20 My soul breaketh for the longing

that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed,

which do err from thy commandments.
22 Remove from me reproach and contempt;

for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 Princes also did sit and speak against me:

but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
24 Thy testimonies also are my delight,

and my counselors.
DALETH
25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust:

quicken thou me according to thy word.
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me:

teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:

so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth for heaviness:

strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying:

and grant me thy law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth:

thy judgments have I laid before me.
31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies:

O LORD, put me not to shame.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments,

when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
HE
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes;

and I shall keep it unto the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;

yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments;

for therein do I delight.
36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,

and not to covetousness.
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;

and quicken thou me in thy way.
38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant,

who is devoted to thy fear.
39 Turn away my reproach which I fear:

for thy judgments are good.
40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:

quicken me in thy righteousness.
VAU
41 Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD,

even thy salvation, according to thy word.
42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me:

for I trust in thy word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth;

for I have hoped in thy judgments.
44 So shall I keep thy law continually

for ever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty:

for I seek thy precepts.
46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings,

and will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments,

which I have loved.
48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments,

which I have loved;
and I will meditate in thy statutes.
ZAIN
49 Remember the word unto thy servant,

upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction:

for thy word hath quickened me.
51 The proud have had me greatly in derision:

yet have I not declined from thy law.
52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD;

and have comforted myself.
53 Horror hath taken hold upon me

because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
54 Thy statutes have been my songs

in the house of my pilgrimage.
55 I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night,

and have kept thy law.
56 This I had,

because I kept thy precepts.
CHETH
57 Thou art my portion, O LORD:

I have said that I would keep thy words.
58 I entreated thy favor with my whole heart:

be merciful unto me according to thy word.
59 I thought on my ways,

and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
60 I made haste, and delayed not

to keep thy commandments.
61 The bands of the wicked have robbed me:

but I have not forgotten thy law.
62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee

because of thy righteous judgments.
63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee,

and of them that keep thy precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy:

teach me thy statutes.
TETH
65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD,

according unto thy word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge:

for I have believed thy commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray:

but now have I kept thy word.
68 Thou art good, and doest good:

teach me thy statutes.
69 The proud have forged a lie against me:

but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
70 Their heart is as fat as grease:

but I delight in thy law.
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted;

that I might learn thy statutes.
72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me

than thousands of gold and silver.
JOD
73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me:

give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me;

because I have hoped in thy word.
75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right,

and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort,

according to thy word unto thy servant.
77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live:

for thy law is my delight.
78 Let the proud be ashamed;

for they dealt perversely with me without a cause:
but I will meditate in thy precepts.
79 Let those that fear thee turn unto me,

and those that have known thy testimonies.
80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes;

that I be not ashamed.
CAPH
81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation:

but I hope in thy word.
82 Mine eyes fail for thy word,

saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke;

yet do I not forget thy statutes.
84 How many are the days of thy servant?

When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?
85 The proud have digged pits for me,

which are not after thy law.
86 All thy commandments are faithful:

they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.
87 They had almost consumed me upon earth;

but I forsook not thy precepts.
88 Quicken me after thy loving-kindness;

so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.
LAMED
89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations:

thou hast established the earth,
and it abideth.
91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances:

for all are thy servants.
92 Unless thy law had been my delights,

I should then have perished in mine affliction.
93 I will never forget thy precepts:

for with them thou hast quickened me.
94 I am thine, save me;

for I have sought thy precepts.
95 The wicked have waited for me to destroy me:

but I will consider thy testimonies.
96 I have seen an end of all perfection:

but thy commandment is exceeding broad.
MEM
97 O how love I thy law!

It is my meditation all the day.
98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies:

for they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers:

for thy testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the ancients,

because I keep thy precepts.
101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way,

that I might keep thy word.
102 I have not departed from thy judgments:

for thou hast taught me.
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste!

yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.
104 Through thy precepts I get understanding:

therefore I hate every false way.
NUN
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

and a light unto my path.
106 I have sworn, and I will perform it,

that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
107 I am afflicted very much:

quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.
108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,

and teach me thy judgments.
109 My soul is continually in my hand:

yet do I not forget thy law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me:

yet I erred not from thy precepts.
111 Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage for ever:

for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes

always, even unto the end.
SAMECH
113 I hate vain thoughts:

but thy law do I love.
114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield:

I hope in thy word.
115 Depart from me, ye evildoers:

for I will keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live:

and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe:

and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
118 Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes:

for their deceit is falsehood.
119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:

therefore I love thy testimonies.
120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee;

and I am afraid of thy judgments.
AIN
121 I have done judgment and justice:

leave me not to mine oppressors.
122 Be surety for thy servant for good:

let not the proud oppress me.
123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation,

and for the word of thy righteousness.
124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy,

and teach me thy statutes.
125 I am thy servant; give me understanding,

that I may know thy testimonies.
126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work:

for they have made void thy law.
127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold;

yea, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right;

and I hate every false way.
PE
129 Thy testimonies are wonderful:

therefore doth my soul keep them.
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light;

it giveth understanding unto the simple.
131 I opened my mouth, and panted:

for I longed for thy commandments.
132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me,

as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
133 Order my steps in thy word:

and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Deliver me from the oppression of man:

so will I keep thy precepts.
135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;

and teach me thy statutes.
136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes,

because they keep not thy law.
TZADDI
137 Righteous art thou, O LORD,

and upright are thy judgments.
138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded

are righteous and very faithful.
139 My zeal hath consumed me,

because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.
140 Thy word is very pure:

therefore thy servant loveth it.
141 I am small and despised:

yet do not I forget thy precepts.
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,

and thy law is the truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me:

yet thy commandments are my delights.
144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting:

give me understanding, and I shall live.
KOPH
145 I cried with my whole heart;

hear me, O LORD:
I will keep thy statutes.
146 I cried unto thee;

save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
147 I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried:

I hoped in thy word.
148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches,

that I might meditate in thy word.
149 Hear my voice according unto thy loving-kindness:

O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.
150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief:

they are far from thy law.
151 Thou art near, O LORD;

and all thy commandments are truth.
152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old

that thou hast founded them for ever.
RESH
153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me:

for I do not forget thy law.
154 Plead my cause, and deliver me:

quicken me according to thy word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked:

for they seek not thy statutes.
156 Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD:

quicken me according to thy judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies;

yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.
158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved;

because they kept not thy word.
159 Consider how I love thy precepts:

quicken me, O LORD, according to thy loving-kindness.
160 Thy word is true from the beginning:

and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
SCHIN
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause:

but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
162 I rejoice at thy word,

as one that findeth great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor lying:

but thy law do I love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise thee,

because of thy righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have they which love thy law:

and nothing shall offend them.
166 LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation,

and done thy commandments.
167 My soul hath kept thy testmonies;

and I love them exceedingly.
168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies:

for all my ways are before thee.
TAU
169 Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD:

give me understanding according to thy word.
170 Let my supplication come before thee:

deliver me according to thy word.
171 My lips shall utter praise,

when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of thy word:

for all thy commandments are righteousness.
173 Let thine hand help me;

for I have chosen thy precepts.
174 I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD;

and thy law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee;

and let thy judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep:

seek thy servant;
for I do not forget thy commandments.

Published by The American Bible Society

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

The Psalms 118

The Joy of Jesus is Faith in God

Faithfulness of God, The

Is part of His character.
Isaiah 49:7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
DECLARED TO BE
Great.
Lamentations 3:23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Established.
Psalms 89:2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
Incomparable.
Psalms 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
Unfailing.
Psalms 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Infinite.
Psalms 36:5 Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Everlasting.
Psalms 119:90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Psalms 146:6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
Should be pleaded in prayer.
Psalms 143:1 Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
Should be proclaimed.
Psalms 40:10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
Psalms 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
MANIFESTED
In His counsels.
Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
In afflicting His saints.
Psalms 119:75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
In fulfilling His promises.
1 Kings 8:20 And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
Psalms 132:11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
Micah 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
In keeping His covenant.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Psalms 111:5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.
In executing His judgments.
Jeremiah 23:20 The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
Jeremiah 51:29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.
In forgiving sins.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
To His saints.
Psalms 89:24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
Saints encouraged to depend on.
1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Should be magnified.
Psalms 89:5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
Psalms 92:2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
.

The Joy of Jesus is Peace unto You

New International Version (©1984)
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
New Living Translation (©2007)
Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

English Standard Version (©2001)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

International Standard Version (©2008)
Then God's peace, which goes far beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your hearts and minds in union with the Messiah Jesus.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Then God's peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.

King James Bible
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

American King James Version
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

American Standard Version
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Commentary:


The peace of God - The peace which God gives. The peace here particularly referred to is that which is felt when we have no anxious care about the supply of our needs, and when we go confidently and commit everything into the hands of God. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee;" Isaiah 26:3; see the notes at John 14:27.

Which passeth all understanding - That is, which surpasses all that people had conceived or imagined. The expression is one that denotes that the peace imparted is of the highest possible kind. The apostle Paul frequently used terms which had somewhat of a hyperbolical cast (see the notes on Ephesians 3:19; compare John 21:25, and the language here is that which one would use who designed to speak of that which was of the highest order. The Christian, committing his way to God, and feeling that he will order all things aright, has a peace which is nowhere else known. Nothing else will furnish it but religion. No confidence that a man can have in his own powers; no reliance which he can repose on his own plans or on the promises or fidelity of his fellow-men, and no calculations which he can make on the course of events, can impart such peace to the soul as simple confidence in God.

Shall keep your hearts and minds - That is, shall keep them from anxiety and agitation. The idea is, that by thus making our requests known to God, and going to him in view of all our trials and wants, the mind would be preserved from distressing anxiety. The way to find peace, and to have the heart kept from trouble, is thus to go and spread out all before the Lord; compare Isaiah 26:3-4, Isaiah 26:20; Isaiah 37:1-7. The word rendered here "shall keep," is a military term, and means that the mind would be guarded as a camp or castle is. It would be preserved from the intrusion of anxious fears and alarms.

Through Christ Jesus - By his agency, or intervention. It is only in him that the mind can be preserved in peace. It is not by mere confidence in God, or by mere prayer, but it is by confidence in God as he is revealed through the Redeemer, and by faith in him. Paul never lost sight of the truth that all the security and happiness of a believer were to be traced to the Saviour.

The Joy of Jesus and The Truth

Pilate saith unto him, what is truth?.... That is, in general, or that which Christ then particularly spoke of: many things might be observed in answer to this question, as that there is the truth and faithfulness of God in his word and promises; the truth of grace in the hearts of his people; Jesus Christ himself is truth, he is true God, and true man; the truth of all covenant transactions, of all types, promises, and prophecies; whatever he said and taught was truth, and the truth of all doctrine comes from him. The Gospel is truth in general; it comes from the God of truth; lies in the Scriptures of truth; Christ, who is truth itself, is the substance of it; the Spirit of truth has an hand in it, leads into it, and makes it effectual; the whole of it is true, and every particular doctrine of it; as the manifestation of the Son of God in human nature, his coming into the world to save the chief of sinners, justification by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, atonement by his sacrifice, the resurrection of the dead, &c. The same question is put in the Talmud (p), , "what is truth?" and it is answered, that he is the living God, and the King of the World: we do not find that our Lord gave any answer to this question, which might be put in a scornful, jeering way; nor did Pilate wait for one; for

when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews: as soon as he had put the question about truth, having no great inclination to hear what Christ would say to it; nor did he put it for information sake, or as having any opinion of Christ, and that he was able to answer it; he directly goes out of the judgment hall, taking Jesus along with him, and addresses the Jews after this manner:

and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all; and indeed how should he? there was no sin in his nature, nor guile in his lips, nor any iniquity in his life; the devil himself could find none in him. This confession is both to the shame of Pilate and the Jews; to the reproach of Pilate, that after this he should condemn him; and of the Jews, that after such a fair and full declaration from the judge, they should insist upon his crucifixion; it shows, however, that he died not for any sin of his own, but for the sins of others.