𝐉𝐨𝐡 𝟏𝟔:𝟐𝟎 𝐊𝐉𝐕 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐲.
Today’s Devotional…
In this season, many Christians around the world carry out a lot of activities to commemorate the sufferings of Christ and His eventual crucifixion on the cross.
These activities cause many people who try to visualize the process to be extremely sorrowful during this period. Rightly so.
However, it was not God’s will that we should continue to be sad during this period of our remembrance of His death on the cross, but rather that we should rejoice.
Yes, during this period when Jesus went through rejection, torture, and even death, we are supposed to rejoice. Yes, He took the pain and the shame at that time so that we can rejoice today.
In Matthew 26:56, when the disciples of Jesus were very sorrowful that He had been arrested to be crucified, Jesus encouraged them and said: “But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Yes, the prophets’ prophecies were never pointing to the momentary sufferings and death of Christ, but to the eternal reward that this would bring to mankind. Ponder…
So, inasmuch as His sufferings and death were indeed sorrowful, the eternal good news of man’s reconciliation with God was wrapped up in that moment, prompting a celebration and not mourning.
He was sorrowful so that we could be joyful. In fact, it is His joy that we find eternal joy in His sufferings.
So, as you remember His sufferings and death this season, let the deep moments remind you of the value of the righteousness you enjoy today.
May the joy of the Lord, which was His wish as He went through the agony of the cross, be yours forever in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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