Joy

Hebrews 12::2 says this:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This verse has only just become clear to me this morning. The apparent disconnect between the abomination that is the brutal death of Christ and this so being God's glorious plan did not mesh well with me. This weekend I prayed for a passionate love to return to my heart. I prayed that the joy of Christ would consume me, and it has. Because of this joy, I now know a glimpse of what the writer of Hebrews was referencing.

As a Christian, we are commanded to always be joyful (1 Thes. 5:16). If you think about it, we have the God of Creation living inside of us, so what reason would we possibly have to be discontent? We lose joy when we submit to the lies of the devil and take our focus away from the Cross, from Christ himself.

The solution is this: Follow Jesus by living joyfully, cast off stress and anxiety cf. Psalm 94:19, Eccl. 11:10, Matt 6:34, 1 Peter 5:17. If you have joy, the world will notice.

John 10:10 "I have come so that you may have life, and have it to the full."

Seize this promise!
John 16:33 "take heart, for I have overcome the world"
Christ has already been victorious, rejoice!


-matt