"It Was For Joy"

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

"Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross." What was the joy that was set before Jesus? Was it the suffering- He knew it was coming? Was it the shame that He would be subjected to? Was it the beating that He was going to have to endure? As an onlooker of the cross, what was there that He could have had joy about? There was nothing about it that even slightly resembled joy. It was a place of death, sorrow, grief and pain. Oh, but Jesus saw something more.

Jesus lived His life by faith just as we do- faith in His Father's word. By faith, He knew that what He would do at the cross would open up the door to make a way for us to now have access into the Father's presence and to live with Him forever. He knew that we could be reconciled to Him through His sacrifice at the cross.

He also knew that His suffering at the cross was the will of the Father. Doing His Father's will brought Him great joy because He knew how much the Father loves us and longs for us to be reconciled back to Himself. The thought of us living with Him in His house, the thought of pleasing the Father by doing His will, knowing how much the Father longed to have us as sons and daughters and that through what He would do at the cross it would become possible, this was the joy that He saw surrounding the cross. This was the joy that was set before Him and He endured the cross in order to obtain it. To Him, the joy outweighed the pain, shame and suffering.

Each time one of us accept Him as Savior and make Him Lord of our lives, His joy is again fulfilled. Has His joy been fulfilled in you?

Have a great day. The joy of doing the Father's will, the joy of providing the way for the Father's desire to be fulfilled, and the joy of making it possible for us to be able to live with Him forever gave Jesus the strength to endure the cross.

For further reading:
2 Corinthians 5:18
Luke 22:42
Hebrews 10:9
John 3:16; 1:12
1 John 3:1

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
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