… who (Jesus) for the joy set before Him endured the cross… Hebrews 12:2
How could there be joy set before Jesus as He faced the cross, and where did this joy come from? I love what the amplified bible adds to our scripture text. In brackets, it states that the joy was the accomplished goal. The accomplished goal was set in motion for Jesus life, and He understood His purpose. Because of that understanding, He was able to endure the cross with joy. Knowing our purpose helps to bring joy, peace and contentment no matter what we endure. Yes, trials are hard to face and can wear us out at times. However, as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and we stay focused on His purpose for our lives, like Jesus, we can find joy as we endure our crosses. I think of a dreamer in the old testament named Joseph. Joseph’s life at a young age starts with a dream about the great leadership call on his life. The dream sets an agenda in motion called the accomplished goal. The pursuit of this accomplished goal brought about hardships and trials. In the pursuit, Joseph had to face rejection, abandonment, false accusation, slavery and imprisonment, and it had to be the joy set before him (the dream) that allowed him to stay hopeful through the trials he faced. Our dreams/promises from the Lord are an agenda set in motion, and we can find joy through hardship in the pursuit of them, due to the fact that the dream is the already accomplished goal. Be encouraged that no matter what you may face today, it is subject to the accomplished goal the Lord has for your dreams and promises for tomorrow. What is the joy set before you?
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