Death

To introduce this devotional, I wanted to show all the different decisions that make life complex. There are multiple choices for everything from washers and dryers to tires for your car. Since you may not be in the market for a washer or dryer, and your tires are just fine, I decided to see how many brands of jeans there are. I found a site that provided the complete list of jean brands listed in alphabetical order. I stopped counting at one hundred brands. I was only at “C”! I didn’t have it in me to count jean brands starting with “D” all the way to “Z.”

Today, we live in a crazy, confused world. Do you agree? A person says a seemingly innocent phrase. Someone else views the phrase as offensive and derogatory, even racist. Social media blows up. The person responsible apologizes profusely and retracts the statement. They are “cancelled” and labeled a pariah.

Satan is not particular about when he attacks. He went after Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. At their strongest point, he convinced them that God was holding out. He also attacks us in our weakest moments. That’s what he did when he tempted Jesus in the desert.

God’s grace is amazing! He gives us what we don’t deserve. He offers the free gift of grace without conditions or strings attached. And it all started with his grace in the garden.

It all started in the Garden. In that perfect sinless environment, Satan came to Adam and Eve. There in the Garden, the deceiver twisted the truth and convinced Adam and Eve that God was holding out on them. They bought the lie. When God confronted Eve and asked, “What is this that you have done?” she replied, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). Through the deceiver, sin and death entered humanity. That’s why Jesus says Satan is a murderer and a liar “from the beginning.”

Peter wrote this passage around the time the Roman emperor, Nero, was persecuting Christians. Many followers of Jesus were led to the Roman Colosseum to be mauled and torn apart by lions. Peter used that relevant picture to remind Christians that Satan, our adversary, the one called the devil, the slanderer, seeks to defeat and destroy us.

Life is short. Everyone dies. Eternity is long. God offers the free gift of life. Why do people choose not to believe in the gospel? Why do some see the message of Jesus as unattractive? Why do others communicate that this free gift is actually not free at all, but one must work to attain it? The answer to all these questions is Satan. Here is what he does.

A good battle plan includes a study of the enemy. What’s their location? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What is their method of attack? The list goes on. Now granted, our primary study must be about God. The Bible is his love letter to us, and we never want “to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest” in the devils and his demons. But we must be aware of who the enemy is. Today, let’s consider three passages from the Gospel of John where Satan is described as “the ruler of this world.”

One comedian has quipped. “I don’t fear death. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Most of us would agree there is some truth to that statement. The mystery of “the other side” causes anxiety, if not downright fear. So, let’s confront the fear of death by considering what awaits us on the other side.