But thanks be to God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:57 KJV)
This week’s post continues where I left
off last week. Now we will consider some
of the verses and the chorus of Victory
in Jesus. For the first post in this
series, please see Victory in Jesus.
I’ve
heard an old, old story, how a Saviour came from glory,
From the opening pages of the Bible in
Genesis to the closing pages in Revelation, we read of God’s redeeming love and
His plan to redeem us from our sins through sending His Son, Jesus. God’s love
is a costly love, yet He gave so freely—by accepting Jesus as our Savior we can
win the victory! Jesus willingly left so
much in heaven to become one of us—He understands us and cares about us.
How
He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me.
Have you considered how willingly Jesus
gave up His life for people, for sinners like you and me? He didn’t have to do this; however, His love
for us was so great and strong that He gave His life as a ransom for you and
me. It is in Jesus Christ and Jesus
Christ alone that we are saved! It is in Jesus that we have the victory!
I
heard about His groaning, of His precious blood’s atoning. Then I repented of
my sins and won the victory.
While on the cross, Jesus groaned, He
cried out—feeling the full weight of each one of our sins and our diseases. It was through His precious blood and its
atoning power that each person can receive forgiveness of sins—it’s a personal
decision—a decision no one can make for us. What is your decision? Have you repented of your sins? It seems to be a process of sorts—a process of
fully surrendering to God the whole of our life.
Until
about ten or eleven years ago, I had religion, (even though I had asked Jesus
into my heart at age six or seven) but I did not have a living, vital relationship
with the Lord, and I certainly did not understand a thing about the Holy
Spirit. (And I grew up in a Bible
believing church!) Just because my church believed the Bible that did not mean
we knew the Bible. Once I understood the need for relationship
and learned the truth and accepted the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, living a
Christian life became so much easier. It became less an effort of the flesh,
instead it was relying on the Lord’s empowerment through the Holy Spirit.
There
is still a struggle; there is still the need to take off the old man. I am not the same and I do not want to go back
to the way things were. What I watch on
TV has changed and what I read has changed—that is what a true, vital
relationship with Jesus has done for me.
I do not miss my old life! My
desire is to be more like Jesus each day. What about you; have you experienced the life
saving and life changing impact of a relationship with Jesus? It is not too late, why not invite Jesus into
your heart and receive forgiveness of your sins?
Let me ask you to search your heart—have
you gone to the cross and poured out everything that needs to come out—the sin,
the burdens that we cannot bear and are not meant to bear? Leaving all the old sin, the “yuck” of our
lives at the cross when we surrender all to Jesus and ask Him to be our Savior
and Lord; it changes everything. Victory
is won! Jesus won the victory for us!
What victory is won? In Jesus we are set free from being enslaved
to sin—we can have victory over sin. We
also have victory over death and the grave, because Jesus gained victory over
death and the grave. Death for those of
us in Christ is not something to fear. We
have a glorious future awaiting us!
I’ve
heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory, And I heard about the
streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;
In John 14 Jesus comforted His disciples
and all believers with the assurance that He was going to prepare a place for
us in heaven and then would return for us. There are many mansions in heaven being
prepared for those who are saved. In
Revelation we read of the beauty of heaven. Heaven is beyond anything we can
begin to think about or describe. Streets
of gold, a crystal sea, a tree with leaves that heal. Best of all, we’ll see Jesus, our Savior and
Lord!
And
some sweet day I’ll sing up there, the song of victory.
Just imagine the glorious reunions we
will have in heaven with those who have gone ahead us, as well as meeting
Brothers and Sisters from every tribe, every tongue, and every nation. What an amazing song of victory that will
be—singing the song of the victorious in Christ! Beyond meeting family (some I
know and some I do not), there are many people that I have “met” through books
that I anticipate meeting in heaven. What
a glorious time that will be—to be with our Lord forever—worshiping and serving
Him. O, what a glorious day that will
be!
Chorus
Can you sing the words of the chorus
with the assurance they are true for you? What are you waiting for—it is not too late to
turn to Jesus and ask Him to forgive your sins. Today is the day to decide.
Oh,
victory in Jesus, my Saviour, forever! He sought me and bought me with His
redeeming blood. He loved me ere I knew
Him, and all my love is due Him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing
flood.
Victory in Jesus is possible! In what
ways have you experienced victory?
How can you live out your victory in
Jesus each day?
How can you share that message with
others?
Please join with me in prayer:
Dear Lord, Thank You for giving us the
victory in Jesus. Encourage us to look
to Him as we go through our daily lives.
May we always keep our eyes and heart focused on things above rather
than on things on earth—that is where our hope lies. Deepen our spiritual hunger and thirst for
things of You Lord; it is clear that earthly things clearly do not
satisfy.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
