HEBREWS 12:2

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

TO PONDER

This is one of those verses of Scripture that often fail to make sense to me. What joy could possibly motivate someone to let themselves be crucified on a cross? I know that a positive incentive can really motivate people. In my previous life as a teacher I was not above using bribery to motivate my students to get a task finished. For some, it was the promise of chocolate that worked for them, others preferred the lure of 10 minutes free time at the end of the day. Each of the students had something that I could leverage to get a little more effort or a little more efficiency out of them. Put the right 'joy' before them and suddenly tasks that seemed too difficult only moments before became the simplest thing in the world.

So what does that mean for our verse today? Well, here's what I think. If Jesus had before him the toughest task any human has ever had to face, then I can only surmise that the 'joy set before him' or the 'positive incentive' which he was offered to help him complete that difficult task must have been the single most important thing in the world to him. So what was that thing that motivated Jesus to go through with the whole dying on the cross plan? It was you! This is why Jesus death on the cross is so important because it communicates to each of us, how much God loves us. It demonstrates that there are no lengths he is not prepared to go to in order to reclaim us from sin and death and restore us too himself. What an incredible thought, you are the Joy set before Jesus and you are the goal or prize for which he went to the cross.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, It is so easy to believe the lies of the evil one that say I am useless and of no value, full of sin and evil. May Jesus' death on the cross always remind me of how valuable I am to you, that you would send Jesus to die in my place and to win me back for yourself. May my life also communicate that truth to others. Amen.

Todays devotion by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle