We all lived as children of wrath in the spirit of
disobedience (Ephesians 2:2-3). Our father was the devil (John
8:44). We were lost in sin and owed their wages of death, which we could not
pay (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Yet, God gave us the free gift of His Son, Jesus,
who died to pay our sin debt and to bring salvation to each one of us. By His
Spirit, Christ now dwells within our renewed spirit and allows us to partake of
His divine nature both now on this earth and for eternity (2 Peter
1:4).
Now, the only way Satan has any influence over our life is
if we give it to him by submitting our thoughts, words or deeds to him. Jesus
defeated Satan at the cross of Calvary and He will come again to take all
authority back from Satan, the current god of this world (2
Corinthians 4:4). Jesus will eventually lock the devil in the lake of
torment forever. That is the fate of everyone who refuses to come to faith in
Christ Jesus (Revelation 20:15).
On the other hand, those who surrender to Jesus are now
joint heirs with Him (John 8:17), and will inherit everything God
has in store for Him. Death is not an end, but the beginning of our true life.
Our last breath on this earth is followed by our very next breath in Heaven. We
graduate from the school of life and are carried into heaven by the angels to
receive our diploma into the eternal Kingdom of God (Luke
16:22). We passed every test, and earned our rewards from the
King.
God rejoices in the death of His Saints (Psalm
116:15). He is our guide and our refuge, even through death (Psalm
48:14; Proverbs 14:32). The day of our death is actually better than the day
of our birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1), because we are no longer
separated from God. We dwell in the reality of His Kingdom forever with all the
Saints that have gone on before us along with those who will come after us. We
will never die, because we take on the immortal aspect of angels, and we are
the sons of God, the Body of Christ, whom He raised from death into new life (Luke
20:36).
Prayer:
Father God, our body, soul and spirit are filled with joy.
We know You will never leave us among the dead. You will not allow Your beloved
children to rot in the grave. Thank You for Your many joys in this earthly
life, which You bestow on us. Our most exquisite pleasure is to enjoy Your
eternal Presence both now and in eternity (Psalm 16:9-11). Create
in us a clean heart, and renew our spirit until we come to spend eternity with
You (Psalm 51:10).
Thought for the Day:
We are confident in the fact that if we are absent from our
body, we will undoubtedly be with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:8
