For The Joy That Lay Before Him

Day 1

3All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.5That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.
JOHN 1:3-5 (CSB)

Commentary

Our Loving Creator

The Creator of mankind is also the Savior of mankind! The One who created your very being, who knitted you together inside your mother’s womb, is also the One who humbled Himself from glory and took on the shame of mankind upon that cross at Calvary.

13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.
GALATIANS 3:13 (CSB)
As Scripture states, cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree. Jesus loves you and me so much that He lovingly and obediently endured our punishment in our place. A punishment fit for only the most wicked of criminals. As you navigate your day today, no matter if it’s a good day, a rough day, or a really bad day, remember that Jesus has spared you, believer, from an eternity in Hell.
21He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 (CSB)

Soul Search

On good days and bad days, is my heart stayed on what Jesus has done for me?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for creating me and not only doing so, but also rescuing me from myself, so that I am now spared from God’s wrath. Without You, I am nothing. How mighty and precious is Your name. In Your name, I pray. Amen

Day 2

44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
MATTHEW 13:44 (CSB)

Commentary

His Love Toward Us

Though you and I are sinners, Jesus counts us as treasure. Once hidden in the earth, so to speak, among those who are perishing. Our God loves us so much that He paid the cost to buy this world, just so that He could save those of us who receive the Gospel message with joy and faith.

2keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
HEBREWS 12:2 (CSB)

What other “god” has done such a thing for mankind? Not a single one apart from Jesus, the True and Living God. Many spend their lives doing religion, trying to achieve a god-like status, when all we must do is accept this wonderful gift of Christ.

Soul Search

Am I living in the freedom of what Christ has done, rather than the shackles of what I think I must do?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You made the way. You offered the final sacrifice. Please help me to rest in that, by faith in Your Son. To follow as You lead me, to be in relationship with You and not to just practice hollow religion. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Day 3

8he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross.
PHILIPPIANS 2:8 (CSB)

Commentary

His Obedience

Jesus’ suffering and death were the price that He had to pay for this field of buried treasure. His love for you and me and His obedience to the Father’s will is what kept Him on His mission to the cross.

39Going a little farther, he fell facedown and prayed,“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
MATTHEW 26:39 (CSB)
Jesus even prayed beforehand that if there was another way, then let it be. However, He was in full submission to the Father’s will, and it was His will that Jesus endure what He did.
4Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.5But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.6We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished him for the iniquity of us all.
ISAIAH 53:4-6 (CSB)

Soul Search

Am I seeking God’s will as often as I can, or is it always “my will be done”?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You have displayed to us the way in which we are to live for You. You’re not only our Good Shepherd, but an example of servitude that is rooted in pure love. Lord, help me to set aside myself and to walk in Your love, mercy, and grace, as one who mimics Your ways — a reflector of my Savior. In Your powerful name, I pray. Amen

Day 4

10For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
LUKE 19:10 (CSB)

Commentary

His Mission To Seek & Save

Now that Jesus has paid the price for this world, He has been on a 2,000-year mission to seek out that beloved buried treasure.

4“What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it?
LUKE 15:4 (CSB)
How precious it is that He is willing to seek out the ones who are most insignificant to the world and the ones who are most guilty. Taking you and me from this world, once spiritually poor, blind, and naked, and saving our souls. And He will seek out every last one of us until time is complete as we know it.

You and I are His hands and feet on this earth. Let us be quick with the message of salvation to all around us. Let us be aligned with Christ’s mission to make disciples. Let us be living in His power, as ambassadors of His Kingdom, for which we long to see, and one day, my brothers and sisters, we certainly will see.

Soul Search

Does my heart hurt for those around me who are still lost?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, whatever it is that I need, be it love, patience, mercy, whatever it may be, please anoint me with it. So that I may be equipped to deliver Your love and Good News to those around me. In Your wonderful name, I pray. Amen

Day 5

27My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.30I and the Father are one.”
JOHN 10:27-30 (CSB)

Commentary

His Ability to Keep Those Who Are His

Understand that we have assurance and one-hundred percent confidence in Jesus. If you are born-again in Him, trusting in Him for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life, then you can know that He will never let you go. The God who created all things and saves those who love Him is also able to fully keep those whom He has saved.

The enemy may come in from time to time to make you fearful, to scare you, to attempt to drive you away. But know that the Lord has you in His hands forever!

11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 JOHN 5:11-13 (CSB)

Soul Search

Do I understand that in my genuine faith, I am secure in Christ?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for a gift so precious, so loving, and so awesome. May I find Your joy, peace, and comfort in knowing that Your hand will never let me go. Thank You for saving me, a wretched soul, who once lived in complete disobedience. But You loved me so much that You’ve washed away my sin by the blood of the Lamb. I love You so much! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen