Originally posted on Facebook on Friday, December 19, 2025.
Sometimes, you can be down in the trenches so long that you lose sight of what you're fighting for and dejection creeps in.
Then the Holy Spirit reminds me,
"[look] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…"
— Hebrews 12:2
This is about more than mere survival or simply making it through something, it is a hope that compels and propels me forward—"the joy".
So what is the joy that Jesus lived for, and that enabled Him to endure the greatest suffering imaginable?
I believe the joy is this (Romans 8:21): all of creation delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of Christ, shared with those born of His blood—the children of God—never to be made afraid again, to the glory of the Father.
Righteous, loving, and just government.
Safety on all sides.
Peace—because Christ, the Prince of Peace, is King.
That is the joy.
The best part is that I can have a taste of that, right now.
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. […] These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
– John 14:27, 16:33
Peace is the freedom from violence, but should not be confused with the absence of violence.
It looks like taking up the whole armor of God. The fiery darts still come, but they strike the shield and not the soul.
My charge is that of a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9), but should not be confused with being a pacifist.
Like a shepherd with a flock, I guide toward safety in Christ and confront threats to their safety.
Day to day, this looks like enjoying that peace and extending it to as many as will accept it:
“And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.”
— Luke 10:6
Jesus said, "My peace I give to you…" and "in Me you may have peace…".
Therefore peace is positional.
I enjoy it and extend it by centering the unadulterated Christ.
By this, I press forward, seeking to bring others into safety and giving them a taste of what is to come when my joy is fulfilled.
That is what I'm fighting for.
#FightingForJoy #peace #perfectourlove