TLIC FAMILY. DAY 204. JULY 23: SWALLOWED UP.

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. ⁵⁴When 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? 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, death became 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 good for you. Death is now a door to heaven. To God. To Jesus. In Jesus death is swallowed up in victory! And not just death. Everything sad or hard can teach us to trust God. 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 be difficult or even hurt, because Jesus promises to turn everything bad into something good.

Because of Jesus even death is a great victory for us.

With Jesus we can live in his victory and do hard things like loving others.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Visit a cemetery together (maybe the grace of a loved one). Ask: Where is our loved one now? Talk about how for Christians death is not the end it’s the beginning. It is victory.

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus, you conquered death for me. Help me to conquer evil by doing good. Amen.