Hebrews 12:2 says, “…for the JOY that was set before Jesus, He endured the cross.” This joy is glorious resurrection joy, streaming from an act of the deepest, most powerful love anyone could ever experience!
God wants this resurrection joy to be yours too, to celebrate not only our suffering Christ, but also our Risen Christ, our Reigning Christ, who says to us in John 15 + 16, “When you obey my commandments, you remain in My love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John Piper wrote, “…so it is with us: for the joy that is set before us in the resurrection, we endure the COST OF LOVE, no matter how high, for the least deserving.”
Resurrection life will be triumphant and glorious. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “…no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him”
Psalm 16:11 states, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is FULLNESS OF JOY; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
1 John 3:2 says, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as he really is.” Oh, dearest friends, resurrection joy is surely something we all need to be extremely delighted about and prepare for!
Precious Lord Jesus, thank You for Your great sacrificial love shown on the Cross, and that you arose again in resurrection glory! Please help us to able to say like Paul did in Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” And in 2 Cor. 4:17, For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” All glory and honour to You our precious Redeemer and Lord! Amen
Myrtle Turunen