When you celebrate the glory of Christ and praise him, it gives you such joy!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada celebrating Easter Week with you.
And all week long, I have been sharing the wondrous things that were purchased for us through the death and resurrection of our glorious Savior, Jesus. Oh, isn’t he a wonderful Savior?! You know, we are fast approaching Good Friday, when we recall the horrific, the torturous and unthinkable death that Jesus endured for us and for our salvation. And when we reflect on those awful spikes, the drunken soldiers, the crowd screaming for his crucifixion, the betrayal, the abandonment, it makes what Jesus did all the more praiseworthy, doesn’t it? And Hebrews 2:9 says it best, and I say it with a smile, “But we see… Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death.”
You see, the night before he died, knowing what was coming, Jesus asked – and this is what he said – he said, “Father, glorify me in your… presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” And so, that’s what happened. Because Jesus was obedient to the point of death, God crowned him with glory. Because Jesus humbled himself and died a criminal’s death, Philippians says that God highly exalted him. Christ’s glory was the reward of his suffering. It was his prize, and he died to have it. And now, we see Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. So, yes, this was something Christ obtained when he died and rose from the dead. He obtained glory and honor!
And it’s why I love him so. For the joy that was set before him, it says, he endured his cross. Oh, friend, you and I, we are his joy – his joy and his crown. Somehow, some way we add to his joy, and that adds to our joy. When we celebrate the glory of Christ and praise him for his supreme worth and beauty, when we urge our hearts to adore the Lord of the universe who humbled himself for us, oh, my goodness, we’ve got such joy! The fullness of joy in his presence, it says in Psalm 16, and pleasures forevermore at his right hand! Our Savior secured a crown, and he offers his glory to us for our delight. Like John Piper says, “When Jesus died to regain the fullness of his glory, he died for our joy. Love is the labor—whatever the cost—of helping people be enthralled with what will satisfy them the most, namely, Jesus Christ.”
And I will attest to this in my wheelchair; I will tell you flat out that nothing gives me more joy than making my Savior look grand and great. The more I glorify the Lord, the happier I am. It’s what I was – it’s what all of us – were made for. Oh, there is so much more to say this Easter Week, and it’s why I’m thrilled to offer you John Piper’s wonderful book, “Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die.” And I’m so thankful to our friends at Desiring God Ministries for providing copies for us to give to you. And so, if you want to understand more about the crown of glory that Jesus gained after he suffered, and if you’d like to understand why his glory should make you so happy, then go to joniradio.org and ask for “Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die.” Every Christian should have a handle on exactly what happened that day, because it involves a lot more than our salvation. So, ask for your gift today at joniradio.org. And finally, I pray you’ll know the joy of the Lord this Easter Week as we celebrate our Savior who suffered, bled, and died so that we might have life abundant.
© Joni and Friends