Swallowed up in Victory
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
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.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, inasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
– 1 Corinthians 15: 53-58
This has been another rough week. First I was sick, then I had some crazy drama that although I was not apart of directly affected me and put a ton of extra responsibilities on my shoulders. Add in a MIA hubby who’s off training for his upcoming military deployment and the stress that is putting on me to get everything done and then worked ahead in order for us to pack up and take off 2,000 miles away to Texas next week while we spend his time away with extended family visits.
Crazy enough? It gets worse…yesterday I get the phone call that my Grandpa, who I’ve always been close to and love with all my heart, is dying of bone cancer. I was supposed to spend this summer helping him and my Grandma out and letting them get to know my kids better since they’ve only seen my daughter a handful of times and never met my son. Instead I don’t know if I’ll even make it out for a funeral depending on how things are progressing.
Sometimes life just sends us a sucker punch to the gut. Our first instinct is to curl up in a ball…to lose ourselves in tears and hurt. We want to cry out, “This is too much all at once, I can’t deal with this God!” The Corinthians were experiencing this. They had expected Jesus to return right away but instead they were living out their lives and beginning to see those they loved pass away. They began to cry out and despair. That’s when Paul wrote them this letter–he says, “Wait a minute guys! Why are you crying out in pain? Why are you in despair? Why would you say that you’ll never see them again when you know that you will?!”
I absolutely adore the passage of Scripture above. It is so precious, especially in times like these. When I feel like my heart is being ripped into pieces I can wrap myself in the promises of God. Yes this is painful but it is not the end–not even close. Through Jesus we have the victory, in Him death is defeated once and for all, in Him all that is wicked and pain and sin is completely swallowed up.
Swallowed up in Victory
Copyright © Nicole Elliott, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved