Hebrews 12:2 has long been right at the top of my list for favorite Bible verse. The idea that Jesus went to the cross as a sacrifice for my sins is very powerful. But add to that the thought that he went there joyfully and it blows my mind. I try not get the picture in my head of him skipping down the roads of Jerusalem carrying the cross on his shoulders, whistling all the way. And yet on the inside, that joy gave him the strength to carry on and complete his task.
Would his sacrifice have been as meaningful if it had been out of duty or a fear of retribution for disobedience? After all that Jesus had gone through in his life, if he had become disheartened at the end and merely wished it to be over, would our sins be forgiven? Big questions that I am glad I do not have to answer, and I am glad they don’t even need an answer because he did it all for “the joy set before him.” It was not because of duty or fear or despair. It was because he loved me enough to want to go through all that and attain my salvation.
How many times do I fulfill my Christian duties out of obligation, fear of retribution, or even habit? When I give money to the church is it because I know I have to? When I give my time in service, is it so I will feel like I am a good Christian. When I keep the 10 commandments and all the other laws and regulations found in the Bible, am I doing it so I will not suffer an eternity in hell?
God does not just want me to give. He wants me to want to give. He does not want me merely to serve. In order to be like him I must want to serve. God does not just want me to be good and righteous. He wants me to want to be good and righteous. Like his son, on the cross giving and serving joyfully, not out of compulsion or duty or fear, but out of love.
A tough message for me. It is much easier to just do the things I do out of habit and think I am good enough to get by. But God calls me to something higher though the death of his Son and his joyful example on the cross.
