Jesus won.
He went up against the cosmic forces of sin and death and beat them. He died, but He didn’t stay dead. His body came alive after three days in the tomb, and He is no longer mortal. He is free from death because He beat it. He is free from sin because He beat it. Decay, hatred, hopelessness—He beat them all.
And to the Victor goes the spoils. He won the hearts of His people, but He also won their bodies, promising to resurrect them one day too. He won the planet called Earth, and the web of life that covers it. He won Luna, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and the star Sol. He won the Milky Way galaxy and the whole universe, observable or not.
That’s why, as Christians, we don’t have to be afraid, even when it seems like Satan is winning. Even when it seems like the forces of sin, death, and confusion are overrunning the people of Christ. We aren’t fighting the battle. The battle has been fought, and the battle has been won by Jesus Christ.
He will return, He will raise our bodies from the dead, and His people will live with Him in His universe forever. There will be no sin, and there will be no dying.
Because Jesus beat them to death.
• How does knowing that Jesus Christ beat sin and death change your everyday life?
• What role does the resurrection play in Jesus’ victory?
To learn more about how Jesus beat sin and death, check out our "Know Jesus" page.
In this way, he [Jesus] disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NLT)
The Victorious Gospel
January 19
January 19, 2020 • Kevin Zeller
Flying Chariots
Kevin Zeller
The fleet of war machines hurtled through the air toward the city. The leader smiled fiercely, hands on the controls of his ship. “This is the greatest military power in the history of humanity,” he said to his officers, not caring if it was true. The leader’s ship went into a dive, and the fleet followed. The city darkened as the sun was blocked. Emergency sirens wailed, and fearful people ran from the streets. “It is high time this city fell,” the leader shouted, “laid waste like all the others! We will build a great empire, and nothing can stop us now! Nothing can stop this fleet!” The girl stood on the wall of the city, watching the approaching fleet. It filled the sky from east to west, and the noise of thundering rumbled her feet. Then silence. Great, whooshing silence. The girl gasped. The machines were plummeting from the sky, all at once in a great wave of wood and metal. The first struck the ground not far from the city wall, scraping up great piles of earth as the ships disintegrated with bright explosions. Soon the entire fleet lay in ruins, smoke rising up and up to the heavens. • What kinds of things do you put your hope in? • What kinds of technology or other manmade things do people place their hope in? • Reread Romans 8:22-28. As Christians, where is our hope? Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7 (NIV)
Found
January 30, 2020 • Hope Bolinger
If you’d told me I’d get lost in New York City, I’d have begged you to wake me up from my nightmare. But lo and behold, during my junior year on choir tour, with over one hundred students jam-packed into a few charter buses, I ended up lost in one of the biggest cities in the world. I and a handful of other friends followed a chaperone who, although they were invested in getting a picture with a person dressed up as Woody from Toy Story in Times Square, didn’t invest in a GPS. But when we realized the time—thanks to the handy dandy screens in the Square—we scrambled toward the sidewalks to get back to the bus for our next tour stop. None of us had a keen sense of direction, and the only ones with cell phones didn’t have our choir director’s number. It was a time before any of us had smart phones, so no luck in using a GPS. Swerving from street to street, I felt my chest contract as tears welled up in my eyes. *We’ll never get back to the bus. They’ll ditch us and pick up a couple of Broadway actors to take our place. I mean, there are more than one hundred students. Who needs a couple of spare altos and sopranos who can’t read a map?* At long last, our choir director called one of our phones (she must’ve gotten the number from another student) and discovered our location. She rushed over, directed us to the bus’s position, and made sure we climbed aboard before we took off to our next destination. I had never related to Jesus’ story of the lost sheep until that day. Especially knowing that our choir teacher would not leave until she had all of us, even having to ditch the bus to locate where we’d gotten lost. And man, oh man, did it feel good to be found. • Have you ever been lost before? What did it feel like to be lost? What did it feel like to be found? • Reread today’s Bible passage. Where do you see yourself in the story of the lost sheep? The one who is lost? One of the ninety-nine? To learn more about how we all need to be found by Jesus, check out our "Know Jesus" page. What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? Luke 15:4 (CSB)
Waiting
January 29, 2020 • Melissa Yeagle
Did you grow up playing “I Spy”? It’s a great game to play on long car rides. Because the hardest part of long car rides is the waiting till you get there. Waiting is never fun. As Christians, we have to wait for many things. We are waiting for Christ’s return, and, in the meantime, we often wait for answers to our prayers. A wise Christian once told me God always has one of three answers to prayer: yes, no, and wait. While we know God is good, waiting to see His answers and the unfolding of His promises is hard. When we are in the midst of waiting, we can trust that God is good and we can stand on God’s promises in Christ. One of those promises? God is so good that He is working all things—the good and the bad—for good for all those who love Him (Romans 8:28). And here’s some great news: God will never break His promises. We might have to wait for His timing, but He will always keep His promises. • Can you think of a time when God answered your prayer with a wait? • Why is it important to remember God’s promises when you are waiting for something? It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:26 (NKJV)