1 Corinthians 15:54 Death has been swallowed up in victory.

We ce;ebrate His victory because His victory means we also have victory! Satan had his major victories in the Garden of Eden and at the Cross (or so he thought). But God turned Satan's victory into utter and devastating defeat when Jesus rose from the dead.

Death no longer brings fear to our hearts. "Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus defeated death when He broke through its grasp and rose from the grave. We now have hope that extends beyond the grave and into eternity!

Jesus has set us free from the bondage of sin, from the stronghold of death, and from the power of Satan. His Spirit releases us from fear. Jesus opened the door from death to life and gave us victory.

With the door now open, we can enter the presence of the Lord. We can draw near to Him and respond to His love. He will flood our hearts with peace and our problems will disappear in the presence of His greatness. "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).

We can celebrate our victory in Jesus, because He is victorious over all!

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Jeremiah 32:17 Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

He desperately wanted a child, but both he and his wife were old. God had made a promise, but He certainly seemed to be in no hurry to keep it. Didn't God understand that there would be a certain age beyond which childbearing would be impossible?

Then God came once again, repeating the promise and asking, "Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14).

The prophet Jeremiah had warned the nation of Judah that God would punish them. Yet God had also promised to return His people to their land. To prove the reliability of that promise, God told His prophet to buy a plot of land - now in enemy hands. Not seemingly a very good investment.

Yet Jeremiah trusted God. "Nothing is too hard for you," he said (Jeremiah 32:17).

Fast forward. Jesus has explained that it is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom. The astonished disciples ask, "Who then can be saved?" (Matthew 19:25).

Jesus answered, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).

Our God is the God of the impossible. When the situation looks bleak, when all hope is gone, "with God all things are possible." When the problem is too big, ask yourself, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" And then answer yourself, "Nothing is too difficult for Him!"

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Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Most of us are not content to follow - we like to lead! As human beings, we automatically want to go our own way, sure of ourselves that our way is the right way.

When we put aside our selfishness and pride, we can then admit that we don't know the way. We can acknowledge that we need to follow someone greater than ourselves - that we need to be led in the right direction.

God knows the direction our lives will take long before we are even capable of choosing what crayon to use in a coloring book. When we are willing to be led by the Spirit, He will bring us to Himself. He will show us the path of the cross and bring us to our knees. When we pour out our heart and soul to Him, He will listen. He is always present, always listening for our call, always waiting for us to ask for His leading in our lives.

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Psalm 145:3  Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

How great are You, Lord! Considering all that God has done for us, an outburst of praise is only natural. We have so much to praise Him for!

Think of His mercy, His undeserved favor. We did nothing to cause Him to love us. We did not deserve His love, but He loved us anyway. Mercy alone caused Him to reach out to a dying world and give His life so that we might live.

Think of all that He has done for us. He redeemed us, saved us, called us to be His own, and sent us His Spirit to strengthen and guide us all the days of our lives.

Think of His kindness, that He lovingly reaches down to protect us when we are in danger, encourage us when we are downtrodden, comfort us when we are hurting.

Think of such love that would seek us and rescue us. Such love is unfathomable, such love is unimaginable, such love is drenched  upon us from our great Lord.

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Psalm 146:1-2 Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

This is at once a comforting and a convicting thought. How wonderful to know that Jesus is ours! He is with us wherever we go. In the morning and in the evening, all day long, with us wherever we go...

King David asked, "Where can I go from your Spirit?...If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there... If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me" (Psalm 139:7-10). The apostle Paul exulted that nothing "in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God" (Romans 8:39). If Jesus is yours - your Savior and your Lord - rejoice in the fact of His presence!

But realize that this is also an awesome responsibility. You represent Christ wherever you go. By your actions and attitudes, you either draw people one step closer to Christ or you turn them off to Him. Everywhere you go, Jesus goes with you. Morning, evening, all day long!

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Matthew 6:9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.

Hallowed means holy, sacred. Above all that Jesus is to us, He is holy. He is set apart, perfect sacrifice for our sins. Perfect God, perfect man, united to take the punishment for sin that we deserved. And because He is holy - hallowed - He is the only one worthy of our parise.

We can go to Him with our problems and He will help us solve them (Psalm 34:19). In His grace and goodness, He will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19). When difficult times threaten to close in upon us, He is a fortress into which we can run (Psalm 18:2); because He loves us, we are more than conquerors in all situations (Romans 8:37).

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John 15:13  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

The hill was Golgotha, located on a roadway outside of Jerusalem. The stripes on His back came from a leather whip studded at the ends with pieces of bone - designed to rip and tear flesh. The thorns had made a "crown," fashioned on branches from a thornbush, pressed down upon His head. The nails pounded into His hands and feet secured Him to the wooden cross, guaranteeing a slow and agonizing death.

Why?

Because with His "eternal eyes," God had designed a way to bring sinful humanity to Himself. The blood sacrifices of the Old Testament became one perfect sacrificial Lamb hung on a cross, killed to take away sin. And when it was over, death and sin had been forever defeated and access was provided for sinful humanity to the throne of God.

Jesus was devoted to the end. Every thorn that pierced His brow, every nail that went through His guiltless hands, told how His love has no end.

He did this just for you. When He went to the cross, you were on His mind. If you had been the only person on the planet, He'd have done the same. He is your Redeemer, your Savior, and your Friend.
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