Jesus invites us to devote ourselves to him. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). Where the Kingdom is, there also is the King. “If you love me, obey my commandments…. All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:15, 23). We who have received his life are learning to live by his love, becoming a home to the very God.
We know from personal experience that human nature tends toward devotion to other things. Things that captivate and enslave us. “Do not love this world, nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you” (1 John 2:15). Recall the account of Ananias and Sapphira as recorded in Acts 5:1-11. They wanted to create the appearance of devotion, but without the reality of it (2 Timothy 3:5). There was precedent for this kind of duplicity. Consider, for example, Saul, king of Israel, when he failed to destroy the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15).
They exemplify the teaching of Jesus, that our hearts will follow our treasure—the things that we value the most (Matthew 6:21). The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ liberates us from all other objects of devotion, and allows us to devote ourselves to him, as we keep turning to him. “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (Hebrews 12:2).
He gave us our faith in the first place, and he intends to perfect it. He shows us the joy that he has set before us. This joy comes through a revelation of the Father’s plan for creation, which will cause us to fall in love with His Son and place all our hope in His Kingdom. Joy, in turn, helps us to endure the cross—the experiences that God sends to transform us. Because our Father is so faithful to us, He raises us along with His Son and seats us beside His throne (Ephesians 2:4-7).
Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts,
Thou fount of life, thou light of men,
From the best bliss that earth imparts
We turn unfilled to thee again.
–Bernard de Clairvaux
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