August 25

Make me Clean

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. — Matt 18:8 BSB

There were many painful steps our Lord had to take before He could reach this blessed moment of being received up to glory. The immediate future held struggle, loss, and pain. While His eyes saw the radiance of heaven with its open gates and welcome home, before He could enter that shining portal, He had to pass through a broad battle-plain filled with enemies. There were days of toil, nights of loneliness, and finally, the darkness of Gethsemane and the path that led to Calvary. He had to die and be buried. All this came before He could be received up to glory.

But Jesus didn’t focus on the painful steps ahead. He didn’t let His eyes linger on the shadows that lay in the valley. Instead, He lifted His gaze to the mountaintop where the splendor of heaven awaited. Keeping His thoughts fixed on the glory that would follow, He was able to forget the toil, the tears, and the suffering.

This is a lesson we all need to learn—not to dwell on the struggles and hardships of the journey, but to look beyond to the brightness at the end. No matter how rough the road may be, it’s worth it if it brings us home in the end. Too many of us live with our eyes downcast, seeing only the troubles and discouragements of life, while we miss the joys and blessings that await us. We must learn the secret that enabled Christ to endure the cross—by looking ahead to the glory beyond. Let us fix our gaze on heaven, and as we dwell on its joys, earth’s trials will fade away, and its griefs will be forgotten in the hope of glory.