01 Aug Destination Joy
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer 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 (NIV)
A Family Guide to Joy (in All Circumstances) (Chapter 12) concludes with Destination Joy? Here we celebrate the twelfth station of Jesus’ Journey to Joy (see map below): Jesus knew joy because He conquered death!
Through this guide, and through our lives, we’ve walked with Jesus on His journey. That journey included good times, transitions, rejection, and dying to self, to name a few. Jesus, considering the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), endured the cross, and His journey has reached its final destination. Jesus’ journey is complete.
But what about our journey? Will we also reach destination joy here on earth?
No!
As we’ve seen, joy is not something we get once for all or someplace that we arrive and are done! Joy is a way of life. Even the Pharisees struggled with this in Luke 17:20-21 (NIV): Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
It seems the Pharisees were looking for a temporal sign, a political upheaval, or a powerful outward show, but this is not what Jesus intended then or now. And if we’re honest with ourselves, aren’t we sometimes like the Pharisees?
Jesus again claimed that the kingdom of God — Himself! — was in their presence. It’s not a place you get to, but an ongoing relationship you have with God!
In a sense, God’s kingdom is already but not yet. GotQuestions? explains, “Believers are actively taking part in the kingdom of God, although the kingdom will not reach its full expression until sometime in the future. We are ‘already’ in the kingdom, but we do ‘not yet’ see it in its glory.” Thankfully, Christ’s saving work on the cross is sufficient and finished, but Christ will return again to completely vanquish evil. It is an evil with which each of us will struggle. In the meantime, even as He was leaving them to go to the cross, Christ promised His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever” (John 14:16 NASB).
But even while we won’t reach our final destination of joy here on earth, God gives us so much love, hope, and learning. Discover even more lessons by reading our guide!
Joy Resources!
Subscribe to the new A Faithful Dad YouTube channel which showcases over 2,000 original short videos including this month’s Destination Joy videos. Be encouraged through Jesus’ Journey to Joy as you pick up your cross daily and follow Him!
Joy Challenge #12: How can you know joy in all circumstances? Share your answer with a friend.
Joy is knowing Jesus, following Him through all our trials.
Joyfully,
Travis L. Zimmerman
Pastor and Co-Founder
