Daily Devotional from The Way Bible Church for November 23rd, 2019

If you read over this verse too quickly, you will get the discombobulated theology that Jesus somehow was looking forward to the cross. In doing so, you can get the misinterpreted view point that believers are somehow supposed to look at suffering as God’s purpose for your life. Does suffering occur, yes. Is it God’s will, no! Suffering was not in the picture prior to sin coming on the scene. If you ever wonder what God’s will for your life is, all you have to do is look at the way He set things up in the very beginning. There was no suffering or lack, just an uninhibited life of peace and fellowship with God Himself. When you take a serious look at today’s text you will see that the cross was not Jesus’ focus or mission, you were! He was brought to the cross as He focused on ‘the joy set before Him’. That joy was the revelation of renewed fellowship with you. His mission was doing away with your sin and shame. That mission just had to go through the cross. So your Savior endured it for a short time so that He could complete His mission of rescuing you. The suffering had to happen but it wasn’t His focus or the end result. The end result was your life being restored and redeemed back to a place of righteousness and fellowship with the Father. As you move forward on your life’s journey, when times of difficulty and suffering come, know that they aren’t meant to be your focus they’re simply a part of life. Don’t allow them to distract you from the mission He has you on. You will make it! You will succeed! Your victory has already been won! – Love and Blessings, Pastor Jeff