Can I pray for you in any way?
Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
Psalm 16:11
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name.
Psalm 97:11-12
The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
Proverbs 10:28
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
We’re well into the third week of the Advent season, a week that is centered on the theme of joy. In recognition of this, there have been four messages in this series where we have learned the following:
1. Any real joy comes from the Lord, the source of all things.
https://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com/2025/12/advent-series-our-joy-is-lord.html
2. Real joy, the kind that comes from the Lord, leads a believer to sing songs of praise.
https://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com/2025/12/advent-series-joy-stirs-up-songs-of.html
3. The power of real joy from the Lord helps us feel and express it in good and bad times.
https://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com/2025/12/advent-series-joy-even-in-hard-times.html
4. All Christians have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who produces the fruit of joy.
https://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com/2025/12/advent-series-holy-spirit-produces-joy.html
This brings us today where we will see that believers will gain joy when they walk in the ways of Jesus while traveling the narrow path that leads to righteousness and a life that is pleasing to God. Look again at these words from the Psalmist David:
You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. Psalm 16:11
Here we find Israel’s king reveling in the joy that came by knowing the Lord had made known to him “the path of life”. This path was paved by God providing His commands and directives which David following in obedience, putting him in a place where He lived in favor with his Lord.
Anytime that anyone does this, commits themselves to allow the Lord to guide them toward living in His righteousness, they will feel blessed and filled with joy as they go through each day in the presence of God who blesses them with “eternal pleasures”. And while David had God’s commands and Law to guide him, today we have the life of Jesus documented in the Gospels, a life that we can read about and duplicate in our own lives. We also have the gift of the Holy Spirit who is always leading and directing us so to do all that the Lord desires, convicting us when we consider doing otherwise.
Can we see that our God has set everything in place for us to always live as He wants us to live?
Indeed, there’s no excuse to live otherwise and who would want to when we read in the scriptures where joy is felt in abundance by those who dedicate themselves to righteousness.
The identified Psalmist in the ninety-seventh Psalm proclaims this:
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name. Psalm 97:11-12
Any Christian who has fully devoted themselves to the Lord’s will and way can shout out a hearty “amen” to this. They know how it feels to be walking daily in the light of the Lord, a holy light that dispels and drives out all darkness. It’s a light that lifts our spirits like a bright sunny day and compels us to “rejoice in the Lord” and “praise His holy name”.
The wise Solomon had it exactly right when he wrote that “the prospect of the righteous is joy” and this Advent season is the perfect time to be in a spirit of utter happiness, rejoicing, and worship as we excitedly prepare ourselves to once again celebrate the greatest gift God has ever given, the gift of His Son Jesus, the One who came to be the Savior of the world.
For as Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians:
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 9:15
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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