March 9, 2025 Devo

Have you ever said, “If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have done it!” Maybe it was a job you took that you thought was going to be great. But then you end up having to work harder or longer than you knew. Or you had a boss who turned out to be a jerk. Or maybe you got into a relationship that turned out to be a nightmare. That wonderful man turned out to be a mama’s boy, or that fantastic lady turned out to be a drama queen. And now you’re trying to figure out how to get out. Or I wonder how many have joined the armed service hoping to “see the world.” But about one or two weeks into basic training, they’re lying on their bunks wondering what in the world they have done.
We make decisions like that, don’t we? That’s because we don’t always see or know all we’re getting into. We can’t see down the road. We can’t know in advance how it’s going to turn out. There are often lots of hidden hurts, struggles, and challenges that come with choices we make that we just aren’t aware of until we make those choices and follow that path. And sometimes, even when we’re aware there may be issues, we choose not to see them because we want what we want.
But that wasn’t true with Jesus. He didn’t come to earth unaware of what He would face or blind to what He would go through. He didn’t wear “rose-colored glasses” that made the human race seem more friendly than they would be, nor did He believe that His ministry would end any differently than it did. No, Jesus came to earth with His eyes wide open. He knew exactly what He would face and how He would be treated. In fact, Psalm 22 reminds us that hundreds of years before Jesus was arrested, mocked, and crucified, He was aware that it was coming. It wasn’t a surprise. It wasn’t a shock. That’s why He could, with full confidence, tell the disciples in advance what was coming. THEY were still shocked. But not Jesus. He knew all about the betrayal, the suffering, the humiliation, and the painful death. And He knew it before He ever left Heaven to come here.
So if you’re having any thoughts about not being loved by God today, think again. If you’ve let the Enemy convince you that God couldn’t want you, couldn’t forgive you, or is sorry He let you into His Fold, you’re wrong. If you’ve wondered if Jesus ever gets tired of you and your whining, complaining, and failing, He doesn’t. Jesus knew what He was getting into when He came. He knew how He would be treated. He knew that not all would follow Him. He knew about the cross and how the disciples would all run away. Jesus knew that we, as His followers, would never live as faithfully as we ought to. But that just shows the depth and power of His Amazing Grace. Jesus came anyway. That’s God’s Word for you today.