1 Corinthians 15:55

 

Grave, where is thy victory

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Bible-reading: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Someone once said: When I was a lad of twelve years, my mother died. She did not really die. It was not a total extinction when she died a physical death. I heard her say, "I have always prayed God to let me live to see my five boys grown up, but if it is His will to take me now, I am ready to go." She seemed to go down to the water's edge and await her release. She asked, "Why is not the silver cord loosed, or the wheel broken at the cistern?"  When one sees a loved one face death in that spirit, the words of our text take on new meaning.  They come alive. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"  For one who lives life in accord with God's will, death has no sting; and in his death the grave has no victory. Rather death provides the only open door that leads into those many mansions Jesus has gone to prepare for those who believe in Him as Savior and Master. PRAYER: O Lord, our Father, grant us the desire to help Thee make the world a better place in which to live. Help us to be "steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." Bring us at last to dwell with Thee eternally. For our Redeemer's sake. Amen.

 

Free from the fear of death

Most phobias can be reduced to a fear of man or death. Death looms over many as the ultimate fear-object. The fact that death is imminent is clearly established in Scripture: "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Hebr.9:27). But Christians need not fear death. Jesus removed death as a legitimate fear-object by taking away its power when He died for our sins. Jesus Himself said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die" (Jn.11:25,26). Even though we will eventually die physically, we will continue to live spiritually. Every child of God is spiritually alive, and even physical death cannot separate us from the love of God (Rom.8:38). Paul says, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Php.1:21). Why? When we physically die, we will receive a resurrected body and be far better off than we are today. Try putting something else into Paul’s formula; for instance, "For me to live is success." Then to die would be what? Loss! "For me to live is a good physical body." Again, to die would be loss. I often ask people, "What is the worst thing that could happen to you?" "Well, I could die," they answer. To which I respond, "Then you have nothing to fear, since the Bible says death may be the best thing that could happen to you!" The ultimate value is not physical life but spiritual life. If our life is hidden in Christ, then we won’t suffer loss when we physically die. We can only gain. We can say confidently with Paul, "O death where is your sting?" The person who is free from the fear of death is free to live today. Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You have freed me to live fully in the here and now. I leave the time of my departure in Your hands.

 

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