Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from Dolly Parton singing her song … He’s Alive! … poignantly and powerfully singing of the discovery that Jesus had defeated death and the truth was … HE’S ALIVE!!!
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Highlight Verse[s]: Acts 2:24 [NKJV] … 24 [Jesus] … whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
… Peter declares the reality that death could not hold Jesus.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Acts 2:22-36 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Peter gives witness and preaches the Gospel truth that Jesus has defeated death in His resurrection.
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Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8-9 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, having defeated death in resurrection, now ascending into Heaven, charges us all to be His witnesses by faith in this world until He comes again.
Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Our final victory in life is over death, which was won on the cross by our Savior’s blood.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, uses the story of a young swimmer fighting off a shark attack [see photo] to illustrated that we can have victory over the worst of our enemies; and that is death. The ODB author writes … Swimming with friends in the Gulf of Mexico, Caitlyn encountered a shark, which grabbed her legs and pulled at her body. To counter the attack, Caitlyn punched the shark in the nose. The predator unclenched its jaws and swam away in defeat. Although its bite caused multiple wounds, which required over 100 stitches, the shark was unable to keep Caitlyn in its grasp.
This story reminds me of the fact that Jesus delivered a blow to death, ending its power to intimidate and defeat His followers. According to Peter, “It was impossible for death to keep its hold on [Jesus]” (Acts 2:24).
Today we may face the upbeat prospects of life; or maybe we’re facing struggles. But either way, what would be the worst thing which we might face? Well, maybe it would a sudden, unexpected threat of our life as it was for the young swimmer in the ODB story. Or even worse, what if we were suddenly taken from this life in a horrible, unanticipated accident.
Fellow Christian, I pray we, who have given our all to Jesus, fully realize that not even death can defeat us, can it? And that’s what the close followers of Jesus discovered when He came back from the grave to be with them before He rose to be with His Father in heaven.
My friend, death cannot defeat the Christian because as Dolly Parton sings, “He’s alive!!” Our Lord has defeated death on the cross, rising again to show us that we too will defeat death in our faith in His finished work on the cross.
Declare it with me, dear one … HALLELUJAH, … HE’S ALIVE!!!
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, for defeating death so that I can be with you forever.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … You’re alive, Lord, … HALLELUJAH!!! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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