[The following devotional is a part of our 2015 Easter Season Devotional Book “Passion Road.” We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between February 18 – April 5, 2014.]
Victory by Jonathan Holmes
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice that this statement is in the present tense. It is not the past tense, “gave us victory..” It is literally, “But thanks be to God, who keeps on giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” There is no greater Truth than the victory we are given daily through Jesus Christ. Everyday I can experience the grace of Jesus Christ for He is the Savior who came near to us and still lives today. When I sin, I come again to my Savior who has won my redemption through His life and death. It is when I am reminded of the victorious grace of Jesus that I am given new power to deny my flesh and say, “No!” to my sin. It is through Jesus that we have this victory. Victory which is lived today and is continually granted to us for all eternity.
“Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychiatry, wrote: “And finally there is the painful riddle of death, for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably ever will be.” Christians have victory in death and over death! Why? Because of the victory of Jesus Christ in His own resurrection. Jesus said, “Because I live, ye shall also” (John 14:19).” – Warren Wiersbe
Questions:
- Do you believe that you are daily given victory through Jesus?
- What areas of your life have you not seen victory through Jesus present?
- How is death “swallowed up in victory” through Jesus?
- V. 5 tells us that nothing that wins the approval of men has any value in the kingdom of God. How hard is it for your heart and mind to grasp that you don’t earn any bit of the victory of Christ?
- How much greater is the given victory through Jesus than any victory you have ever earned?
Prayers for Lent
- Thank God for the victory that is daily given to you.
- Pray for continued victory over sin in your life.
- Take a moment and think about the victory that comes through Jesus.