1 Corinthians 15:51-59
New International Version (NIV)
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[a]
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[b]
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
When I read this verse today the bit that jumped out at me was ' the perishable must clothe itself.....' and I thought how strange, that Jesus who is imperishable was clothed with the perishable. Jesus who is immortal clothed himself in mortality. A sort of reversal process took place. A divine swap. Trading places. In order that I could put off frail flesh and become clothed in immortality Jesus divested Himself of His royal robes and became a human being. And not just a man, but an embryo. He took it as far as it could go when it comes to being 'perishable'. There can be few things more fragile and vulnerable than an unborn foetus. And in order for me to live forever He willingly set aside life in order to embrace death.
Of course we have known this all along. It is the very essence of the gospel. But somehow today, reading these verses, the amazing nature of the 'trade' became clear all over again.
And then I love that last bit. Stand firm. Let nothing move you.
There is something to learn in this. How to do it - to stand firm and unmoved in the face of all that life throws at us. To remain unwavering in our faith in a good and righteous God when people are betraying us, when illness is assaulting us, when grief is overwhelming us or when temptation is flaunting itself in front of us. I'm not sure that I know how this works. I'm certain that I'm not very good at being firm and unmoved. But it has something to do with taking the long view and understanding that all of this life is as a blink in the light of eternity. That Jesus, in taking on flesh, clothed Himself in all of our difficulties and sadnesses and troubles. He knows. He cares. It is all redeemed.
Lord, today I pray for those I know and love who are going through the valley. I pray that they would stand firm and let nothing move them. I thank you that neither tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword shall separate us from Your love. This Christmas time I pray that the sense and reality of Your love will be tangible. That we would know You more keenly and truly grasp the nature of that divine exchange
Love this song by Lara Martin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjpTKb_xer8
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[b]
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
When I read this verse today the bit that jumped out at me was ' the perishable must clothe itself.....' and I thought how strange, that Jesus who is imperishable was clothed with the perishable. Jesus who is immortal clothed himself in mortality. A sort of reversal process took place. A divine swap. Trading places. In order that I could put off frail flesh and become clothed in immortality Jesus divested Himself of His royal robes and became a human being. And not just a man, but an embryo. He took it as far as it could go when it comes to being 'perishable'. There can be few things more fragile and vulnerable than an unborn foetus. And in order for me to live forever He willingly set aside life in order to embrace death.
Of course we have known this all along. It is the very essence of the gospel. But somehow today, reading these verses, the amazing nature of the 'trade' became clear all over again.
There is something to learn in this. How to do it - to stand firm and unmoved in the face of all that life throws at us. To remain unwavering in our faith in a good and righteous God when people are betraying us, when illness is assaulting us, when grief is overwhelming us or when temptation is flaunting itself in front of us. I'm not sure that I know how this works. I'm certain that I'm not very good at being firm and unmoved. But it has something to do with taking the long view and understanding that all of this life is as a blink in the light of eternity. That Jesus, in taking on flesh, clothed Himself in all of our difficulties and sadnesses and troubles. He knows. He cares. It is all redeemed.
Lord, today I pray for those I know and love who are going through the valley. I pray that they would stand firm and let nothing move them. I thank you that neither tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword shall separate us from Your love. This Christmas time I pray that the sense and reality of Your love will be tangible. That we would know You more keenly and truly grasp the nature of that divine exchange
Love this song by Lara Martin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjpTKb_xer8
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