🌞 Good morning,

Today, let's sit with a surprising thought: what if joy isn't a luxury for when life gets easier, but a source of strength for right now?

Have a blessed day.

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📖 Verse of the Day

Reflection:

I used to treat joy like something I’d finally reach once life calmed down. Pay the bills, fix the mess, mend the relationships—then, maybe, I could breathe and enjoy. Nehemiah 8 tells a different story.

God’s people hear His law after years of drifting. As Ezra reads, the weight of their failure hits them and they begin to weep. The wall is rebuilt, but their hearts feel exposed. If there was ever a moment for heavier guilt, this was it.

Instead, Nehemiah and the leaders tell them to do something surprising: go home, eat good food, drink something sweet, share with those who have nothing, and stop grieving. “This day is holy… the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Holy—not because they finally got it right, but because God has brought them back and is still with them.

The joy of the Lord isn’t pretending everything is fine. It’s the deep strength of knowing God has not walked away. You don’t have to wait for a perfect day to know that joy. You have a faithful God who is your strength in this one.

Ask Yourself:

• Where am I waiting for life to be “fixed” before I let myself enjoy God and His good gifts?

• What is one small way I can practice the joy of the Lord today—through gratitude, sharing, or simple celebration?

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🙏 Prayer of the Day

Dear Father,

You know how easily I slip into fixing and worrying my way through the day. Joy often feels like something for later, when I’ve finally sorted everything out. But You say the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Today, help me lean into that. Let Your presence be the gladness under my fatigue and the smile behind my sighs. When heaviness settles in, lift my eyes to who You are: faithful, near, and endlessly good. From that joy, give me strength to love, serve, and keep going.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

🖋 Quote of the Day

“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.”

― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

🎵 Worship Song of the Day

"House of the Lord" by Phil Wickham

This song celebrates the same truth we see in Nehemiah 8:10—joy rooted in who God is and what He’s done, not in how tidy life feels.

📷 Photo of the Day

🧠 Trivia of the Day