Christ came to us as a divine emissary, sent by the Father with a specific and sacred mission—to seek and save the lost. His purpose was not to bring condemnation to the world, but rather to offer salvation through His grace. Jesus, the true Light of the world, illuminated our path, guiding us back to the Father. He serves as the bridge over the vast chasm that once separated us from God, filling the void within our hearts with His presence.
In unwavering faith toward His Father, Jesus was steadfast, trusting in God's absolute faithfulness to fulfill the divine plan laid out before Him. This plan involved restoring humanity to God, cleansing us from all ungodliness and unrighteousness. But His work would go beyond mere cleansing; it would be a transformative recreation of our very nature, shaping us to reflect God's righteousness and holiness. Christ would clothe us in Himself, making us a consecrated people—a people belonging to God, His cherished children.
Such was the depth of Jesus' joy set before Him that it led Him to relinquish His heavenly privileges, emptying Himself to assume the role of a servant. His sacrifice on the cross was the ultimate expression of this service and joy—relinquishing all that weighed Him down, including the sin that so easily entangles, focusing solely on the heavenly goal. His persistent endeavor to fulfill this goal brought Him enduring joy, a joy that sustained Him as He endured the cross and disregarded its shame, and took His rightful place at the right hand of God’s throne.
If we find ourselves struggling in our faith, if we've lost sight of Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, and set merely temporal, earthly goals, we will miss the profound joy that Christ knew and manifested. If the Christian life seems overwhelmingly burdensome, perhaps we are not fully grasping or embracing the lessons of Christ’s own journey. His joy stemmed from our recreation through His sacrifice—a mission fulfilled out of His boundless love for us.
Remember, in times when you feel overburdened by the sin that so easily entangles, our Lord Jesus carried not only our sins but also the sins of all mankind—past, present, and future—on the cross. His steadfast faith in the Father’s promise, even in the midst of His suffering, even in becoming sin for us, was anchored in the certainty that God would raise Him from the dead.
Now, as those who have been crucified with Christ and raised to new life with Him, we are invited to run the race set before us, not with fleeting efforts but with enduring persistence and joy. The transient allure of this world cannot compare to the deep, lasting joy that Jesus embraced and demonstrated and now promises to us who also trust in God’s absolute faithfulness.
As you consider your own path, focus on the goals aligned with your divine purpose and identity as a new creation. Contemplate what God has achieved in you, the life that Christ has implanted within you—this is the source of true, unending joy. The earthly life we lead is temporary, but the life that Christ offers is eternal and abundant, filled with His presence and guided by His light.
We look forward not only to our heavenly home but also to living out our days here as God’s recreated children, bearing His light to the world. This is the true and lasting joy that Christ envisaged for us as He endured the cross—a fulfillment that transcends all earthly understanding and lights the way to our eternal fellowship with Him.