Bible League: Living His Word We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne.— Hebrews 12:2 ERV Have you ever waited with joyful anticipation for something wonderful to happen? That's how I feel when I am waiting to go on vacation. I love going to the Gulf of Mexico to dip my toes in the salty water. I count the days like a schoolchild looking forward to summer break. I may have to endure a few more weeks of winter to get there, but I keep my eyes focused on the sand, the sea, and the saltwater that awaits me. I can just see it now! Perhaps you have been in a season of joyful anticipation. You're waiting for a child to be born or for your first grandchild to arrive. There is a season of waiting you have to endure, but the day is coming, and it will be a day of rejoicing! You could be waiting for a wedding day. You might be waiting for a lucrative business deal to come through. There is a joyful anticipation that surrounds these and other events in our lives. You can just see it! In every season of waiting, there will likely be some hardship, difficulty, or even pain. Jesus was in a waiting season during His ministry on earth. He knew that the cross was His destination. He was literally born to die to take away the sins of the world. The cross, though, wasn't His destiny. The author of Hebrews said that "the shame of the cross" was "nothing because of the joy He could see waiting for Him." The cross was waiting for Jesus from before time began. The loneliness, the shame, the humiliation, and the pain were waiting for Jesus. Yet, Jesus endured the cross and accepted the shame and the pain, "because of the joy He could see waiting for Him." He could see it! Friends, you may be in a difficult or even painful waiting season right now. You might be struggling to endure grief or sadness. You could be dealing with physical or emotional pain that seems like it will never end. Perhaps you are ready to throw in the towel spiritually and give up on faith. Do not forget that there is a joyful day that is coming when we will see the one who "is sitting at the right side of God's throne"! If Jesus could endure the cross, you can endure your circumstances and situation. Don't forget the joy that awaits you! Can you see it? By Shawn Cornett, Bible League International staff, Illinois U.S. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingDeuteronomy 28 Deuteronomy 28 -- Blessings and Consequences regarding Obedience NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 15:27-47 Mark 15 -- Jesus before Pilate; Mocked by Soldiers; Crucifixion; Burial NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Good comes to those who lend money generouslyand conduct their business fairly. Insight Generosity will cure two problems that money can create. The rich man may abuse others in his desire to accumulate wealth. Generosity will eliminate that abuse. Also, the fear of losing money can be a snare. Challenge Generosity and respect for God places our trust in him, not our money, for justice and security. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 39:12 I am a stranger with thee.Yes, O Lord, with thee, but not to thee. All my natural alienation from thee, thy grace has effectually removed; and now, in fellowship with thyself, I walk through this sinful world as a pilgrim in a foreign country. Thou art a stranger in thine own world. Man forgets thee, dishonors thee, sets up new laws and alien customs, and knows thee not. When thy dear Son came unto his own, his own received him not. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. Never was foreigner so speckled a bird among the denizens of any land as thy beloved Son among his mother's brethren. It is no marvel, then, if I who live the life of Jesus, should be unknown and a stranger here below. Lord, I would not be a citizen where Jesus was an alien. His pierced hand has loosened the cords which once bound my soul to earth, and now I find myself a stranger in the land. My speech seems to these Babylonians among whom I dwell an outlandish tongue, my manners are singular, and my actions are strange. A Tartar would be more at home in Cheapside than I could ever be in the haunts of sinners. But here is the sweetness of my lot: I am a stranger with thee. Thou art my fellow-sufferer, my fellow-pilgrim. Oh, what joy to wander in such blessed society! My heart burns within me by the way when thou dost speak to me, and though I be a sojourner, I am far more blest than those who sit on thrones, and far more at home than those who dwell in their ceiled houses. "To me remains nor place, nor time: My country is in every clime; I can be calm and free from care On any shore, since God is there. While place we seek, or place we shun, The soul finds happiness in none: But with a God to guide our way, 'Tis equal joy to go or stay." Daily Light on the Daily Path James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.Job 9:25,26 "Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. • "They slip by like reed boats, Like an eagle that swoops on its prey. Psalm 90:5,6 You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. • In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades and withers away. Job 14:2 "Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain. 1 John 2:17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. Psalm 102:26,27 "Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. • "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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