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Life is a journey to be enjoyed, not a destination to be endured.
I believe we learn this truth from the Lord Jesus Christ. The Hebrew writer says of Jesus that He endured the cross, despised the shame and is now set down at the right hand of God because of “the joy set before Him.” “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God.” Hebrews 12:2 When I think of Jesus, I think of joy. I am convinced that Jesus was a joyful man who enjoyed His life and ministry. If you don’t think so, I invite you to re-read the Gospels through the lens of joy. Jesus experienced and often expressed joy when He preached the Word, healed the sick, cast out demons, restored broken hearts, raised the dead, and yes, when He died on the cross. Jesus knew joy even in the midst of incredible personal suffering. How could that be? “For the joy set before Him”. Joy, God’s joy, motivated Jesus throughout His earthly journey. Jesus kept His eyes fixed on the big picture. Though His way was far from easy, the Lord’s life journey was endurable, enjoyable and victorious because joy filled Jesus’ heart. The Lord’s personal joy was based on His God-given cause and call, not circumstances that accompanied His calling. Joy, coupled with love, directed the Lord’s footsteps as He headed to the Cross to provide salvation for you and me. On Easter morning, resurrection joy catapulted Him from the tomb and carried Him to the right hand of the Father in glory once again! And joy will bring Him back one more time to take us to our eternal home in heaven where unrestricted joy will be the order of each and every day! Hallelujah! Please note that we are exhorted to “fix (fasten or rivet) our eyes on Jesus”. Why? So “you will not grow weary and lose heart” serving the Lord (verse 3). When we fix our eyes on Jesus, His joy becomes our joy. Full of His joy, our faith journey will be joyful, not joyless. Joy becomes a mark of maturity as we follow in His footsteps and imitate His joyful lifestyle. Our faith is being perfected, made complete as we enjoy our journey of walking by faith in Jesus Christ who enjoyed His journey fulfilling the Father’s will. So how about you and me? Are we enjoying our journey with Jesus? We should be. If not, let’s be honest and then adjust our attitude. Sometimes it is so easy to fall into the subtle trap that we will be happy (joyful) when we arrive. That’s called destination disease. The trap is this: By focusing on the destination, we miss the joy of the journey. When our goal is the end, we neglect to reap the rewards of the means to the end. Destination disease is a major joy stealer. It steals our happiness because it robs us of the joy of the moment. Enjoying life consists of enjoying the moments of life. Unfortunately, many of us are so uptight and stressed out about arriving at our destination that we miss enjoying the journey along the way. Joy makes the journey of life so much more bearable and enjoyable. Jesus understood this and so did the Hebrew writer. Joy in the journey comes from fixing our eyes on Jesus who enjoyed His journey! Thank you Lord for enjoying your journey so we can enjoy ours. How To Enjoy Your Journey
Are you enduring or ENJOYING your Christian journey? “Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same thing again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.” Philippians 3:1 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” John 15:11 A WORD FOR YOUR WEEK: Enjoy your journey with Jesus! |
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