DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - MONDAY: The Joy Of Our Salvation

“ I am born for God only. Christ is nearer to me than father, or mother, or sister - a near relation, a more affectionate Friend; and I rejoice to follow Him, and to love Him. Blessed Jesus! Thou art all I want -a forerunner to me in all I ever shall go through as a Christian, a minister, or a missionary." --Henry Martyn
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Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. --Psalm 51:12

David wrote this Psalm after the prophet Nathan confronted him and David confessed that he had committed adultery with Bathsheba. He pleads for mercy from God and God restores the Joy of salvation to him because of his repentant heart.

All of us who have sinned know this feeling of sin's consequence, we feel as if we are all alone, we are wondering if there is a way back to God, we are overwhelmed by our feelings of guilt, we are asking can we be restored? Yes we can! The Joy of our Salvation is found in;

The Knowledge of our Forgiveness
We may not have committed such great sins as David, but if your heart is right and you come before the Lord with a repentant heart, His mercy, grace, compassion, and unfailing love, will grant us forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus. Once we have received this forgiveness and know that we are purified, the joy of our salvation comes flooding in, Hallelujah! Praise His wonderful Name! ...

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - - I John 1:9. Knowing we are forgiven is to know JOY!

Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:

Not in Unbelief -- Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: "I wish I had never been born."

Not in Pleasure -- Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: "The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone."

Not in Money -- Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."

Not in Position and Fame -- Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: "Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret."

Not in Military Glory -- Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, "There are no more worlds to conquer."

Where then is real joy found? -- The answer is simple, in Christ alone. The Bible Friend, Turning Point, May, 1993.

The restoration of the joy of our salvation
This will propel us to begin to tell of the forgiveness granted to us by our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who can mend the broken hearts, who can restore broken lives, who can repair marriages, who can reunite the lost sons, daughters, husbands or wives, who can put families back together again, who can give us values and direction for our lives! Many backsliders will slide back to Jesus and many souls will be won for the Kingdom of God! Hallelujah! What a mighty God we serve!

"It is wonderful what God can do with a broken heart, if He gets all the pieces." –Samuel Chadwick

Loving Father, I thank you that when I have sinned, I can come before your throne and confess my sins. I thank you that you forgive and cleanse me of all unrighteousness, and that you restore the joy of my salvation! Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to tell people of your mercy, love, grace compassion and unfailing love! Help me Lord to win souls for the kingdom of God. In Jesus wonderful name I pray! Amen!