During His earthly ministry, Jesus was afflicted with the same weakness that besets us. When starved and tempted in the desert, He was hungry; when travelling through Samaria, He sat down at the well because of weariness; when praying in Gethsemane, his soul was “very sorrowful, even to death.” The cruel torture of the cross broke His body and killed Him. But His weakness, unlike mine, was voluntary: “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” He was afflicted, but never overwhelmed. He willingly yielded up His spirit in death just as He had done in life, and now death no longer has dominion over Him. There is no force in heaven or on earth than can overwhelm His surpassing greatness; though His enemies assemble as the sand of the sea, He will wash them away with terrors as in an instant. And although my strength is limited, His is not. Even if I find myself at the very gates of hell, His power will overcome: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Jesus Offers Fullness of Joy
There is plenty of happiness for the taking in this sin-sick world of ours. Sure it’s fleeting, empty, and often laced with regret and disillusionment, but it’s there for the taking. There is even some joy to be had—the love of a proud parent, the fulfilling of a dream, even the warm company of family and friends. But apart from God, joy is never complete. It is like a symphony orchestra without a piece to perform, or a fireworks display on a rainy day. It is a vacation that fails to live up to its hype, a lifelong ambition fulfilled that savors of anticlimax. Christ-less joy is good, not great, and it never lasts; even the strongest joys gradually decompose and fade away. Not so with Christ! He is the author of pleasure; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore, and in His presence is fullness of joy. And not just joy, but complete joy, eternal joy, unstoppable, joy, incorruptible joy. Lord, You are the only source of the joy that I was made to crave. Help me to dethrone every earthly emotional elation, exaltation, and exuberance, and feast my soul on You!
Jesus is Our Wisdom
Even to those who do not believe in God, the value of wisdom is self-evident. Wisdom is better than jewels, more valuable than gold, and not worthy of comparison with anything else we may desire. It is higher than knowledge and loftier than understanding because it not only instructs us to do what is morally right, it also empowers us to carry it out.
But how do we get wisdom? Man-made rules and religions often have an appearance of wisdom, but they lack any value in restraining sin, error, or calamity. No, the Scriptures are clear that there is only one true source of wisdom:
“Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; He thwarts the efforts of erudite scholars but reveals mysteries to little children through His Spirit of Wisdom. The queen of the South came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Through wisdom He made the earth and established its foundations; through wisdom He purposed to deliver fallen humanity by dying on a cross; through Wisdom He secured the eternal salvation of everyone who believes.
Wisdom rules the heavens, fills the skies, and one day will fill our hearts, leaving no more room for sin:
“You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
Jesus is the Spring of Living Water
Before there was light, there was water:
“And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Water can sustain life, but it can also terrify, destroy, and kill. It was with water that God once wiped every living thing off the face of the earth.
But Jesus is the source of a different kind of water—a living water.
“Whoever drinks of the water I give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
And again,
“Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
This living water increases as it flows, so that at its source it is a trickle, but the further it goes the wider and deeper it becomes. Ezekiel said that the river of the water of life flowed out from under the altar of the temple, but in heaven there is no temple but Christ Himself.
Jesus is the fountainhead and spring of that river “whose streams make glad the city of our God,” along whose banks grow the trees of life and in whose wake “every living creature that swarms will live.”
Lord, give me this water that I may not thirst forever! As it is written,
“With joy you will draw water from the well of salvation.”
“He leads me besides still waters, He restores my soul.”
Jesus is Patient
Perhaps the reason why human beings are so impatient is that we are by nature ephemeral, transient creatures. Our lives are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes; the span of our life is but a breath.
But Jesus is the Ancient of Days, the Rock of Ages whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, and He continues forever in perfect peace and patience.
With Him, a thousand years are as a day; he does not experience slowness the way we do. He sees all, He knows all, and He ordains all; therefore He is untouched by earthly urgency and worry.
Even so, our sin is a very great provocation to His holy soul, and the prayers of all His saints reach His heart and spur Him on. He is that heavenly Watchman who will take no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
Nothing can force His hand; He is content and shall remain so for all eternity. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Jesus Shines Brighter Than The Sun
Not only did Jesus create light on the first day, He is light—the true light which shines unconquered in the darkness and gives light to everyone. Created light can be dimmed, diminished, or blocked out entirely, but the light that beams from His holy face expels every shadow and melts every adversary. Ezekiel said that the light emanating from Him was “like gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire,” and “there was brightness around him…like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain.” Habakkuk reported that “His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from His hand.” Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of His true glory: “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” And John saw that in heaven there will be “no need of sun or moon… for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” There can be no night in the presence of Him who fills everything with undimmable, unimaginably glorious light. How we need a glimpse of the True Light in this dark and dismal world. Lord, show us your glory!
Jesus Gives To His Beloved Sleep
Sleep is a blessing. Like any other blessing, it can be partaken of to the point of idolatry: “How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” But those of us who take this truth seriously are often in danger of living restless lives; we regularly eat the bread of anxious toil and give ourselves no grace for fear of sudden calamities that might befall us. But Jesus gives to His beloved sleep. Because our Shepherd watches over us, we can lie down in green pastures; because the Lord is our heavenly watchman, we need not stay awake in vain. Although He calls us to watch and pray that we might not fall into temptation, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He who rested on the seventh day and rose on the first will empower us to enter into the eternal rest that He purchased for those whom He loves. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free—freedom from toil, drudgery, and weariness. In heaven Jesus will give eternal rest to our souls, and allow us to enter into the joy of our Master by resting from all our works forever, just as He rested from His!
Jesus Makes Us Beautiful
“Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” Often times we appear to others (or ourselves) to be attractive, handsome, or beautiful, either in behavior or appearance. But when we look more closely at our hearts, we are undone. We are a brood of vipers with the venom of asps under our lips; we are open graves and whitewashed tombs. Or hearts are deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick, and all our righteousness is filthy rags. But the love of God is stronger than human sin! Christ desires a beautiful bride, and a beautiful bride He will have. He washes us with His Word as with living water that heals our spiritual necrosis and causes us to truly live. He adorns us with His own majestic righteousness, and lavishes us with jewels that refract the splendor of His salvation. He is making us beautiful by making us holy, set apart to dwell with Him forever in glory. And one day we will be in His presence, shining as the sun because of Him. Let us then leave behind our earthly attachments and cleave to Him who alone can make us what He wants us to be!
Jesus Offers Indomitable Protection
Cities have walls and doors have locks because we are fragile beings in need of protection in a dark and deadly world. And though locks can be picked and walls torn down, “he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” You can’t break into the house of someone stronger than yourself, and there is no one stronger than Jesus! It doesn’t matter what assails us or how many our foes; with Christ on our side, we will surely see our salvation. And there is nothing we can do to assist Him in His work of deliverance; to try would be like scooping bucketfulls of water from the Red Sea in hopes of parting it. No, we must simply trust and believe, and behold the salvation of our God. No weapon forged against Him shall stand; He who sits in the heavens laughs at the forces that rage in vain and plot against Him. Though ten thousand fall at our right side, we serve the one who will defeat the armies of evil with a word from His mouth like a two-edged sword. Therefore I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!”
Jesus Never Gets Tired
During His earthly ministry, Jesus was often tired. He slept in the boat despite a raging storm; He lamented that “foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” He was made just like us in every way, a little lower than the angels, and experienced all our frailties and weaknesses. But now that He is resurrected and inhabits a glorious body, He can never become tired or weary again. He who made the earth in seven days took our weakness and overcame it, and in its place offers us the glorious rest of victorious gospel celebration. In Him infinite power meets infinite endurance, and now that same power is afforded to us through faith. “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Let us rest in Him when we are weary, and look forward to the day when we can run without stopping, to the glory of His name!