looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Dear Ones: For The JOY! “What joy?” you may ask. You are His joy. Your commitment to receive Him as Lord of your life fills Him with joy. He endured the Cross and all the shame involved with it for you, for me, for every born-again believer throughout eternity. WOW! Can it be that through all the physical pain and suffering my salvation was on His mind? The answer is, “YES!”
Some look at the Cross, declaring it a murder scene. Looking only with unenlightened eyes, it may appear to be so. However, the Cross was/is the Great Altar upon which the Lamb of God willingly laid His life down. Go back to the time when Abraham willingly laid Isaac on an altar (in the same place) centuries before the Cross. When Abraham willingly offered his only son, his act of faith in the LORD God sealed the deal (so to speak). Hebrews 11:19 reveals Abraham’s faith this way, “concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”
In a similar way, the Lord Jesus believed and trusted in the Word of God that the Father would raise Him up on the third day. Remember, the Lord Jesus is the Son of Man and the Son of God. He went to the Cross as the sinless Son of Man to stand in for all of mankind.
May the words “for the joy” resonate in your spirit during this Lenten season. Rejoice with Him and share His joy that your salvation brings to Him even in this hour. He is for you and will never forsake you. He paid a great price for your freedom from the power of darkness. Honor His sacrifice by being the overcomer He enabled you to be. I bless you in Jesus’ name.