“‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
I encourage you to take 15 minutes today to read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 for a very thought-provoking quiet time with the Lord.
Death is inevitable, but it was never part of God’s original plan. That’s why it feels so unnatural and unfair—we were not created to die! As powerful as death is, though, something is far more powerful—and that is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Not only can we have hope for the future in Christ, but today’s verse says we can also have victory over sin right now!
This is so wonderful to think about, I could write and write. But basically what I want to take from this verse is that I don’t have to be defeated by my sinful nature, nor by my fear of dying, any longer. Because I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins, I am no longer a slave to the requirements of God’s law. Jesus conquered death once and for all when he rose from the grave, and he gives me power through him to conquer the sins that still plague me. And my physical death is just the end of my earthly story and the beginning of my heavenly story. Praise God!
How does this play out in my everyday life? Well, as far as my sinful nature goes, I don’t have to be a slave to food anymore. When I’m tempted to overeat, I can pray that God will show me a way out. He also encourages me when I stumble, that slip-up doesn’t mean I’m a failure. As far as my view of death, I can encourage others to be less focused on their fear of death and more focused on building their relationship with God.
How can you apply these verses to your faithwalk?
Copyright 2009
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
1 Corinthians 15:21
“So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ.”
After our daily breakfast prayer, I read a short devotion from A Child’s First Bible by Kenneth N. Taylor. Yesterday we looked at the story of the fall. The book reads, “Adam and Eve did not obey God. So God made them leave the pretty garden. What a sad day that was!”
As I started my morning tasks, I thought to myself, “What a sad day that was…surely that is a profound understatement.” Adam and Eve ate the fruit because they were deceived by Satan, but also because they had an impure desire: to be God. Before the first bite they didn’t have the knowledge of good AND evil; afterward they did see the difference, just as God does—but of course they didn’t know everything that God knows. So Satan’s promise was only partly true (isn’t it always?), and ever since that day all of us have lived under a curse of death, and we’re still trying to be gods.
It’s easy for me to see how my “big” sins have caused ripple effects…but even the “little” ones cause unintended damage. Such as, when my son overhears me speaking critically on the phone, and later he shows the same critical spirit to his brother, I realize how far-reaching the consequences of my “minor” sins become. Like Adam and Eve, I don’t have any idea how destructive my sin is at the time of the offense.
Praise be to God—we can find freedom from the curse through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus! Do you realize that if you believe in Jesus you don’t have to face physical death with fear? Our eternal life will be like Adam and Eve in the garden before the fall, and more! We will see God face-to-face and walk and talk with him like they did, and we will know and love each other perfectly, without any pretense or selfishness. And we’ll share eternity with all the other believers that have ever lived. We’ll be completely free from the curse of sin and death because Jesus paid the penalty for us at the cross.
Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?
Copyright 2009
After our daily breakfast prayer, I read a short devotion from A Child’s First Bible by Kenneth N. Taylor. Yesterday we looked at the story of the fall. The book reads, “Adam and Eve did not obey God. So God made them leave the pretty garden. What a sad day that was!”
As I started my morning tasks, I thought to myself, “What a sad day that was…surely that is a profound understatement.” Adam and Eve ate the fruit because they were deceived by Satan, but also because they had an impure desire: to be God. Before the first bite they didn’t have the knowledge of good AND evil; afterward they did see the difference, just as God does—but of course they didn’t know everything that God knows. So Satan’s promise was only partly true (isn’t it always?), and ever since that day all of us have lived under a curse of death, and we’re still trying to be gods.
It’s easy for me to see how my “big” sins have caused ripple effects…but even the “little” ones cause unintended damage. Such as, when my son overhears me speaking critically on the phone, and later he shows the same critical spirit to his brother, I realize how far-reaching the consequences of my “minor” sins become. Like Adam and Eve, I don’t have any idea how destructive my sin is at the time of the offense.
Praise be to God—we can find freedom from the curse through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus! Do you realize that if you believe in Jesus you don’t have to face physical death with fear? Our eternal life will be like Adam and Eve in the garden before the fall, and more! We will see God face-to-face and walk and talk with him like they did, and we will know and love each other perfectly, without any pretense or selfishness. And we’ll share eternity with all the other believers that have ever lived. We’ll be completely free from the curse of sin and death because Jesus paid the penalty for us at the cross.
Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?
Copyright 2009
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