"The Gift of Joy"

Whenever Easter approaches, I find myself thinking about the death and resurrection of Jesus. The purpose of Christ's life was to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

The Bible says that Jesus became sin for us so that we could be forgiven and found righteous in God's sight (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was so certain of His purpose that he predicted when and how He would die (Matthew 26:2).

Do you ever think about what your purpose is? I sure have! Well, some say that our purpose is to love God. Others might say that it is to serve God. Still, others says that our chief purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Hebrews 12:2 reminds us, "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."

Jesus looked beyond the suffering, shame, punishment, and death. Christ knew the joy that was yet to come, so He focused on the future.

"There is great joy in heaven whenever a sinner repents." Luke 15:10

Likewise, the Lord rewards good works and there is joy in hearing him say, "Well done good and faithful servant." This means Jesus anticipated the joy that would take place when each person would repent and be saved. He also looked forward to the joy that would result from each good work done by believers in obedience to God and motivated by love.

"We love God because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Here's an amazing thought....We can give God joy! What a wonderful God we have who honors sinners like us by allowing us to give Him pleasure. Our Father rejoices and experiences joy as we respond to Him in repentance, love, and good works that brings Him glory.

So today and every day, Give Jesus the gift of joy. After all, it is our purpose and He is looking forward to it!

Happy Easter and Many Blessings!