"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
If we are to make Jesus the
center of our focus, we have to know who He is, where He came from and where He
is now. Jesus was, is now and always will be the fullness of the Trinity (John 1:1;
Colossians 2:9). People say that Jesus
never claimed to be God; however, He did expressly say that He and the Father
are one (John 10:30-33; John 5:18).
Jesus purposely came to earth in human form with all of its
limitations, after experiencing the infinite power of the Godhead in Heaven (John 1:14:
Philippians 2: 5-7). He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross. The established
ministers of His day, as well as several of His family and friends, rejected
Him. He suffered persecution and death for our sake.
Jesus was scourged,
ridiculed, made to wear a crown of thorns, laid bloody and disfigured on a
rough wooden cross, endured nails hammered through His hands and feet, suffered
the lung crushing pressure of hanging on a cross until, in God’s mercy, He
died. Placed in the tomb of a friend, He arose on the third day and stepped
back into His eternal power (Mark 8:31).
He walked about the earth in an immortal body, visiting His disciples and
friends (Luke 24: 13-35).
Then He gathered His apostles together and rose into heaven right before their
eyes (Luke 24:31; Acts 1: 1-11). God
highly exalted Him with a name, which is above every name. One day, at the name
of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:8-11).
Jesus had power over demons (Matthew
4:10). He is King of the Jews (Matthew
2:2). He is the first and the last and
there is no God besides Him (Isaiah 44: 6).
He came to reconcile us back to the Father. He endured the cross by focusing on
the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2).
His life and death provided a bridge to close the gap between our Heavenly
Father and us.
Jesus willfully humbled Himself as a man for the purpose of
taking from us the punishment of our sins. He did not leave us unsupported when
He returned to Heaven, however. He sent His Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us
(Luke 24:49), and He gave us the
God-inspired words of the apostles and prophets collected into one book, the
Bible.
God has a perfect plan for
each of our lives, just as He did for Jesus. We have an important part to play
in the history of the world and for the advancement of God’s Kingdom on the
earth. He has a ministry, which He called us to perform to help reconcile other
people to Him and to strengthen them in their walk and in their understanding
of His principles (2 Corinthians 5:18). Jesus
promises never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Although we face various trials and temptations, He
walks with us through every one of them (John 16:33).
We can face our cross with
joy because we know that Jesus lives within us and will provide every ounce of
courage, wisdom and strength to face whatever life has in store for us (Colossians
1:27). Just as He exhorted the disciples
to allow the little children to come to Him (Matthew 19:14), Jesus is waiting for us to humble ourselves and come
to Him as little children in complete surrender of our will to His (Matthew
18:2-4). He gives us His anointing, so
that we can give our friends, relatives, associates and neighbors the
opportunity to accept the saving truth of His gospel.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we are living in
the end times. We are watching as You fulfill Your plan on the earth. A one
world government, currency and religion are not very far off into the future.
We see the stage being set now for things to come. We thank You for keeping us
close to Your heart during these troubling and dangerous times. We thank You
for continuing to provide for our daily needs and for allowing us to tell
others that You are the answer for all of their problems. We ask You to move in
their hearts, so they will respond to Your Truth.
Thought for the Day:
Do not be afraid; Jesus is
the first and the last, and the living One; He was dead, but now He is alive
forevermore. He holds the keys of death and of Hell. – Revelations 1:17-18