THINK TOGETHER
Have you ever had to swallow medicine that you didn’t like?
READ TOGETHER
Yesterday we talked about how Jesus gives us eternal life in a new body forever and ever. But when Jesus died and rose from the dead he didn’t magically make death go away. And he didn’t magically make everything bad go away. We still get sick. We still get hurt. And we still die.
When the Apostle Paul explains what Jesus has done for us he says that “death is swallowed up in victory.” Listen to these two verses from 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 15:54-55. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
Have you ever had to take bad tasting medicine? Or a hard to swallow pill? OR has mom and dad ever asked you to eat gross vegetables because they are good for you?
Sometimes we have to swallow something bad in order for it to become good. When you take the medicine or eat your vegetables they do something very good for you even though in the moment they seem bad.
Before Jesus died on the cross and rose again, death was always bad. Death only took us away from God. But because Jesus paid for our sins and then defeated death in his rising from the dead, now death is something good for all those who trust in Jesus.
Have you trusted in Jesus to forgive your sins? Have you asked Jesus to give you his new eternal life?
If you have, then death is something that is bad that has become good. Death is now a door to heaven. To God. To Jesus. In Jesus death is swallowed up in victory!
And this same idea can be applied to all the hard things we face each day. Everything we face that is painful, or difficult, or sad, can be turned into something good by God. All the bad and sad thing sin our life can teach us to trust him, and love him, and love others and care about others more and more. The bad and sad things in our lives can make us into better people, better friends, and better family members.
Now we don’t have to spend our whole life avoiding hard things that might end up sad. We can choose to care about others and love our enemies even though it might hurt, because Jesus promises to turn everything bad into something good in our lives.
Because of Jesus even death is a great victory for us.
With Jesus we can live in his victory over evil and do hard things like loving others.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Watch this video of a butterfly emerging from her cocoon. Talk to your kids about how with Jesus we are like caterpillars that will be turned into butterflies, but like the caterpillar we must go into our cocoon in order to be transformed – that’s what death is for us.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus,
You conquered death for me. Help me to conquer evil by doing good.
Amen.
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