“For the joy set before Him (Jesus), He endured the cross…” Hebrews 12:2

Have you ever thought about the joy we bring to Jesus? Hebrews 12:2 blows my mind every time I read it. The verse says, “for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.” What is the “joy” set before Jesus? That joy is you, that joy is me.

We Are The Joy of Jesus!

With the simple act of living, you bring joy to Jesus. To him, you are worth it! “But what about all the times I screw up”, you might say. Why do you think He endured the cross? Because His joy over you is so profound that He was willing to pay for the screwups himself. Put a smile on your face today. Jesus has one while looking at you.

“My cup runs over” Psalm 23:4

We are an empty vessel, waiting to be filled. When King David says in Psalm 23 that his cup runs over, what is he referring to?

David’s Cup Is Flooded With God’s Love.

David is saying that his cup, his life, have literally been dropped it into a very large pool of God’s love. So much so that everything that was inside his cup, his mistakes, his fears, his doubts, his insecurities have been overcome by everything that God is. Having such a cup overflowing is our choice. Have a little faith today. Prayer has a way of filling cups to overflowing very, very, quickly.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

As a child I remember watching the black funnel cloud of a tornado appear on the horizon and slowly tear across the cornfield as it headed toward our home. I was young enough that the cloud only held a fascination for me, and I would have lingered far too long if not for the iron grip of my mother on my shirt collar. With one strong tug down the stairs we went, heading quickly into the shelter of a cinderblock storm cellar. I remember the quiet calm of that space. Such powerful memories are not soon forgotten.

We All Need Shelter In A Storm

There is no way to accurately describe the sense of peace and rest that God provides until you experience it for yourself. David in Psalm 91 says that as we dwell in the shelter of the Almighty we will find rest simply by drawing near to God. In other words, the closer you get to God, it’s very much like being in that safe storm cellar. Let the winds blow in life, for blow they will. But for those who seek shelter with God there is peace that passes understanding. Your peace is only a prayer away.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

Are you feeling a sense of lack in your life over anything? God has a promise for you, for Jesus said in Matthew 7, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open to you.” I don’t know about you but I take the Bible at face value. The bible says, “ask, seek, knock and the door will be opened”.

Trust God’s Word.

That’s plain and simple enough for me. Stop worrying so much and trust in Him by asking.

God said, “you have stayed long enough at this mountain.” Deuteronomy 1:6

Why is it that we give up on our dreams? In 1879 Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb and it changed the world. Yet, along the way he failed, over, and over, and over again in trying to make that light bulb glow. He actually failed so many times that he famously quipped, “I did not fail, I just discovered 1,000 ways not to make a lightbulb.” Edison also said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Your Destiny Awaits

In Deuteronomy 1:6, when God says, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain,” He was imploring the children of Israel to get up and start moving forward. “I have given you this land”, God says, “go and take possession”. Perhaps today you have been camped out at the base of your mountain for far too long. Get up, your destiny awaits.

“Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you receive.” Matthew 21:22

Do you believe in miracles? Jesus said, “whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”  

I Believe In Miracles.

Perhaps you’ve seen a miracle in your life, or the life of a friend, but with the passage of time you’ve begun to discount it as a miracle. It feels safer to try and explain it away as the advancement of medical science, or your hard work in a job search paying off, or a friend stepping forward to help you out just in the nick of time. After all, it’s easier to believe that what we can touch and see had something to do with our good fortune. Believing that God is at work in your life requires just a little bit more. It requires a simple act of faith.  

“Now to Him (Jesus) who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20

God is in the miracle business, but to Him they are not miracles, they are simply His provision and His grace passed along to us. Novelist Frederick Buechner famously said,

“A Miracle is When One Plus One Equals A Thousand”.

Ephesians 3 talks all about this miracle formula. For Jesus does do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine when He is at work within us. So, what’s our part in this equation? We simply have to be willing to say yes to Jesus, yes to His love, and yes to His leading. Be prepared, for when you do, you are about to see a parade of miracles unfold.

“Come boldly to the throne of grace” Hebrews 4:16

No matter how young or how old we are, we seem intent on beating ourselves up over our miscues in life. Instead of spending all that time looking in the rear view mirror why not do as Paul writes in Hebrews and come boldly to the throne of grace.

Endless Mercy Awaits

Jesus knows what we are going through as human beings every minute of every day. He knows our mistakes, our temptation, our pain, our sorrow, our suffering, and yes our joy. The great hope we have is that because Jesus knows us so well, and knows what we are like even at our worst, He still chose to go to the cross to forgive each and every one of us. Bring your screw ups to Jesus, no matter how big or small. Complete restoration is only a prayer away.