For The Joy Set Before You

I, myself love the summer; the sunshine, hot days, warm nights, I love it all. I may even go as far as to say it’s my favorite of the four seasons. Since moving to the South after 20+ years living in NY I get to enjoy the hot weather much longer now in my adult life. One thing, however, that I don’t understand, nor am I a fan of are spring time allergies. Right around April-May the air is almost toxic with the way that my body reacts to it. It’s the worst; stuffy nose, headaches, sneezing. I absolutely HATE allergy season. But like annually on schedule, allergy season comes directly before my favorite season.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God” Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV.

Jesus, the prototype, our example, had to endure the cross. The crucifixion was the most excruciating pain that a human being could endure, and the way that He did it, is that He was focused on “the joy” set before Him. “The joy” in this context, is salvation for us, but how can we use this in our everyday lives. Whatever pain you might be feeling, loss you may be grieving, struggle you may be enduring, it becomes imperative for us to fix our eyes on Jesus and continue to run this race, and to maintain our endurance so at the end we can receive our prize.

My encouragement to you, is that through anything, you remain strong in the faith, and remember that joy is unaffected by circumstance. Keep your worship strong when it’s allergy season, because I know that means that the sunshine is coming soon!

Devotional Written By Awaken Worship Director, Zac Vaughn