Cross

For the joy set before him, Jesus took on the cross for us (Hebrews 12:1-2). Christ the Lord is the One, the only One, who delivers true joy to the deepest part of our hearts. 

Jesus approached the cross with joy! Think of that! With joy, he took our sins and paid the penalty so we could have eternal life. True joy is ours in Jesus!

Simeon was a righteous and devout man, full of the Holy Spirit. His heart was set on the peace that God’s Anointed One would bring to his people. He had waited a long time.

Israel was in chaos. They lived under the tyranny of Rome. The Jewish people were taxed into poverty. They desperately needed peace. Some thought that peace would come through a military general. Others wanted a political leader to overthrow the Roman government from the inside.

The law does not contradict God’s promises but moves us to God’s promises. The law is the road to hope. And our hope is in Jesus alone. Paul explains that “the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24 NKJV). 

The new covenant came with a great price. God didn’t ignore sin or sweep it under the rug. He met sin head-on by sending his Son as our substitute to pay sin’s penalty (Isaiah 53:4-6). Jesus said that the new covenant would be instituted through the shedding of his blood on the cross (Matt. 26:27-28; Luke 22:20). In Jesus, there is forgiveness. He is our great Hope!

When we die, our soul returns to God, our loving Creator. He beckons us home to be with him forever. We will finally see justice because of the injustice that was placed on Jesus. No one spoke in his defense; there was no one to save him from the cross.

I don’t know what you are going through today, but Jesus does. He knows and understands. He loves you and can meet your deepest need.

Believers follow Jesus through life, death, and glorious resurrection. Anyone who believes in Jesus “shall never die.” That’s the Good News!