Daily Devotions – Who gives us the victory

Daily Devotions – Who gives us the victory

 

 

Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (NIV)

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

After Tuesday’s elections, some of you may feel victorious, some may feel defeated, and some of you may be simply bewildered. Whatever you are feeling, God wants you to elevate your game, and begin to see that true victory has nothing to do with who wins the election, wins the game, wins the war, or wins the lottery. God wants us to see that the most important parts of life are being played on a cosmic playing field, over the course of Eternity. This week, we will look at this victory from several perspectives.

We start with 1st Corinthians 15, with the description of God giving us victory over sin and death (this passage is almost always read at the graveside during a Christian burial). Notice that God gives us the victory — we don’t work for it. Then focus on verse 58. When we are sure of this victory in the spiritual realm, we are able to ‘stand firm’ and give ourselves ‘fully to the Lord’s work’ in this life. Pray for such a clear vision of your eternal destiny, that you are able and eager to do the Lord’s work today.