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Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Hebrews 2:14
When we read this verse, we see that Satan has the power of death. This is far more than physical death. It’s spiritual death. It’s emotional death.
It’s this kind of death that keeps us from fulfilling our dreams. It’s just kind of death that keeps us from being victorious over the struggles in our life. It’s this kind of death that feeds our fears. It’s the kind of death that defines our doubt. Is this kind of death that keeps us from winning over worry.
When Jesus rose from the dead he defeated death at every level. Paul writes that because of Jesus’ resurrection the sting of death is gone. What he’s not saying here is that when a believer dies there is no pain. The pain of grief is real regardless of your faith. But when a believer dies we know we will be reunited some day and for all eternity.
By rising from the dead, Jesus offers us power over the death of our dreams, our relationships, and our ability to enjoy life in the present.
Our great enemy, Satan came to rob, steal, destroy…to bring death to us beyond the physical. He is intent on filling us with fear of the future to cripple us. His goal is to destroy our dreams of contentment. His purpose is to rob us of the joy Jesus died to give us.
Because of Jesus’ resurrection we can be victorious. Death has no power over us. Yet many who believe in Jesus still struggle with lost dreams and lost hopes. Claim the victory that Jesus bought for you on the cross every single day.
Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Psalms 61:4
It was one of the worst rainstorms I had ever driven through. It soon became impossible to see the lines on the interstate as I crept along at 30 MPH. Soon I came to an overpass and thought I would take shelter there, but there was no room as other cars had done the same. I continued on for three more overpasses before I found a spot to take shelter and wait for the storm to let up. Underneath that overpass I was able to rest my body and soul as the storm raged around me.
We aren’t sure what situation David found himself in when he wrote Psalm 61, but we can tell he was in anguish and, perhaps, great danger. The Hebrew word for the phrase ‘Let me dwell’ infers a place where we can step out of the turmoil of the world to find shelter and safety, a sanctuary, if you will, where the enemy can’t reach us.
Physically speaking, we may not be able to step away from the storms in life. We will get thrown under the bus by those who have higher expectations than we can deliver. We’ll be maligned by those who want to bind us with ropes of legalism. We’ll move on in life without being appreciated.
Relationships will dissappoint. Finances will fail. Our bodies will grow old and frail, But Jesus offers us a shelter we can take with us through every storm we face. We can feel safe beneath the protection of his wings.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:16
Several years ago my family took a camping trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. One of the things we enjoyed doing was exploring several ‘ghost towns’ that remained from the now defunct copper mining era at the beginning of the 20th century.
On one particular excursion we came across a pioneer cemetery. It was interesting walking among the markers of those who once lived in the area. Some of the epitaphs on the markers gave us some insight into what life might have been like back then. Some were humorous, others insightful, and still others were simply a name.
Each of those markers had one thing in common, however. Each had a beginning date, and end date and a dash in between. Some of those dates spanned years, some spanned only a few months. One in particular caught our eye as it only had a few hours. But in between each of the dates symbolizing time past was that dash.
The dash was the same size as any other dash and for the most part looked the same, yet the story behind the dash was different I’m sure. Some of those dashed symbolized a life well-lived. The life of a business person, a much loved family member, a community leader.
Other dashes represented men and women who sacrificed their lives for this nation; those who struggled with addictions and mental health issues; those who labored their entire lives yet never seemed to get ahead; those who were abused and neglected; those whose lives were marked by turmoil and health issues.
The thing is, the dash looked the same. Those names symbolized a life of memories. Memories, to me are like pixie dust. Pixie dust is always there, we just don’t always see it. Sometimes it appears and sparkles, causing us to smile. Sometimes it appears as a speck in our eye and causes a tear. But it’s always there. Always reminding us of times past.
Another thing about those dates? Like us, the person that was symbolized by those stones had no control over the beginning date or the end date. Those were determined by a loving God who ordains each day of our lives.
While we don’t have control of our beginning date or our end date, we can make the most of our dash! Jesus tells us a simple way to make that happen. Love your neighbor. Loving others doesn’t mean agreeing with them. Loving others doesn’t mean you allow them to harm you, or themselves if possible.
The best way to love others is to begin with living a life empowered with a God that doesn’t just love, but IS LOVE. Every day you are spreading some pixie dust along your dash. Let Jesus help you make the most of that dash of life.
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” Philippians 3:8
What is the most important thing in your life? Generally speaking, the thing that is the most important in our life is what we gain our identity from.
For some of us we would say that our most important thing is our children. For others it may be our career. For others it may be our social action activity. Still others may look at the future and may say the most important thing now is to prepare for the future by building a nest egg for our kids for college and for our retirement.
It’s important to realize that none of those things are bad things in anyway. The things that we have in this life are important. But the most important things are we what we are laying up for ourselves in eternity. Each of us will face eternity whether we believe in it or not. The important question is “how are we preparing for eternity?”
The apostle Paul put all of these things, relationships, finances, family, and careers in the same category as garbage! It isn’t that he doesn’t think they are important, he has just come to the realization in his life that the most important thing to him is his faith in Jesus Christ. Everything else may fall away but our faith will remain strong through every circumstance.
The fight for power, rights and control is never more evident than it is today. This fight is driven by emptiness, pain, and hatred. It shows itself in anger. There will be no peace this side of Heaven.
There will be no contentment until we grow deeper in Jesus. The deeper we go the more peace we gain. It’s much like mining for diamonds. We can stop in shallowness and enjoy the a few low quality diamonds or dig deep and get the best ones. The best diamonds are deeper and get better the deeper we go. Grow deep! Reap the best God has for you.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 