God’s joy
You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
Hebrews 1:9 (NLT)
Try to picture Jesus and what do you see? A man with a sad look on his face, perhaps with tears forming in his eyes? Most of us have grown up seeing the painting of a sad looking Jesus by Warner Sallman. I prefer the smiling Jesus portrayed by Bruce Marchiano in the movie The Visual Bible – Matthew. In preparation for the role, he read a book that talked about the joy Jesus experienced, suggesting he must have smiled a lot.
Yes, he was a man acquainted with sorrow (Isaiah 53:3) but as the verse above says, he was also a man of joy. I imagine Jesus enjoyed life more fully than anyone ever has. He would have appreciated life, knowing and understanding everything about it, including life at the side of the Father, as a human and the life to come. For the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). God’s joy is a joy unimaginable to us.
This devotion was first published on 23 January 2012, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
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Study by: Tammy Tkach About the author: |
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