Death Doesn't Win

BIBLE READING:  Col 1: 15 - 20 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can't see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.  17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.  18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.  He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.  So he is first in everything.  19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross.

PERSONAL NOTE: Yesterday, I posted a blog that I wrote for next week.  Our beloved family pet, Latte, took a turn for the worse and passed away.  It was devasting for the whole family.  As some of you know, Anneka is in Washington DC, and we're in Florida.  It broke our hearts to have to go through this.  So I picked a blog and posted it not thinking that the Bible reading was out of order.  I apologize for that.

BLOG:  My wife asked me today why it is so hard for us to grieve.  I responded by telling her that we were never created to do that.  Life, before the fall, in the Garden of Eden, didn't have death in mind.  That was introduced after sin had entered in.  

But that doesn't mean God doesn't know what to do.  

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds

God is God over death.  Death doesn't derail His plans for our lives, but it is now included.  

God used death to bring us life.  His Son died on the cross for our sins, but He was back to life to fulfill His promises to us.  

Death is the ultimate enemy.  But if God defeats death, what else is there to be afraid of?  

The resurrection of Jesus is a down payment on a promise.  We know that those who die with faith in Christ will be brought back and given a perfect body that will live forever with Him, just like He was.  (1 Cor. 15) 

Death may not be a popular subject, but it isn't a morbid, as you think.  Your God is the God over it.  While Heb. 9:27 says "...it is appointed for man to die once," it isn't the end.  Paul understood this when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:55, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

While we grieve, we are not defeated.  

PRAY:  Dear Jesus, increase my faith!  AMEN