TLIC FAMILY. DAY 290. OCTOBER 17: MADE ALIVE.

THINK TOGETHER

Have you ever seen a magic trick that you still don’t know how they did it?

READ TOGETHER

Sometimes things aren’t as they appear. Have you seen a magic trick where things appeared to be one way, but then they ended up another way? The cross of Jesus is the same way. It looked like one thing but was actually the exact opposite thing. Look at how Paul describes what happened on the cross here in Colossians 2:

Colossians 2:13-15. ¹³And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

There’s a lot of fancy language here, and there’s a description of a lot of invisible things that happened while Jesus was on the cross.

When Jesus died on the cross it looked like God was being defeated by the rulers and authorities. But actually God was triumphing over them.

When Jesus died on the cross it looked like he was being embarrassed and ashamed. But actually Jesus was shaming the Devil and all his friends.

When Jesus died on the cross it looked like nobody could be good enough to escape the punishment for sin – death. But actually Jesus set the record of sin aside.

When Jesus died on the cross it looked like death had won. But actually Jesus would soon rise from the dead and conquer death forever!

At the cross things weren’t what they appeared to be. Sometimes when everything looks like the end for us in this life, God is actually doing something that we can’t see with our eyes. On our worst of days God is making us like the best, Jesus. 

Because of Jesus we are always being changed into his likeness.

With Jesus we can trust God to turn all the bad into good.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Learn a magic trick together. Talk about how things aren’t always as they appear, especially when Jesus is at work in us.

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus, your cross wasn’t what it looked like, and my life isn’t what it looks like either. Help me to trust you even when I don’t know what you’re doing. Amen.