"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." — Hebrews 12:2
Easter, the culmination of Holy Week, is a time of celebration. Jesus, bearing our sins on the cross, conquered death and, for all time, became our Source of Salvation. In the words of recording artist, Chris Tomlin, "Jesus has overcome; and the grave is overwhelmed." The grave — that which overwhelms men with fear and marks their final end — has itself been overwhelmed. Death cannot separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:39). Now that's a powerful love; a powerful truth.
That love changes us in powerful ways. Even the pursuit to understand it, transforms us. And its pursuit has a cost. A love powerful enough to conquer the final enemy (1 Cor. 15:26) itself demands spiritual power to comprehend it. The Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian church that they "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" (Eph. 3:18).
I need that prayer prayed for me. Often life's challenges leave me feeling powerless — drained of the very thing I need to grasp: that I am, nevertheless, loved. It's difficult to feel God's love when burdens are heavy. It hurts God, where are you?
He's right here. "Fix our eyes on Jesus," the writer to the Hebrews reminds us. Look intently at the One who endured a torturous death on a cross for our sake. But contemplating the price Jesus paid may again leave us feeling debilitated, powerless. How can one truly grasp the agony, the treachery, and the cruelty without becoming deeply despondent?
Like a lone, mighty oak in a barren land, defying hostile surroundings, stands the word 'joy.' Jesus endured the cross for the "joy set before him." The Bridegroom knew the cost of securing His bride. And the joy of that union sustained Him through the agony of torture and upon the cross, where the cumulative sins of His bride pierced His hands, His feet, and His heart.
For us, that sacrifice is too excruciating a concept on which to dwell. We can't quite comprehend what it was really like for the sin of all mankind to be visited on one Man in an instant. If only it hadn't cost so much, we might feel a little easier.
Yet, any lesser price would hold something back of God's love for us. No, Jesus joyfully paid the highest price possible to secure His bride — a bride redeemed by a love so very wide and long and high and deep.
Thank you for this devotional, I am truly awe stricken to know that God loves me with an everlasting love, that Jesus is Lord and that He is risen. God Bless you all