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“You Can't Terrorize a Dead Person”

Thoughts for Today:

A man I know has endured a lot of hardship in his life: His own cancer, lung disease, coupled with the early deaths of his wife, son and daughter. It's a lot of pain, heartache, and tragedy for one person to overcome and still remain joyous. In our passage today, Paul sums up my friend?s feeling when he says, "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death." Paul is probably speaking of his own dark days in Ephesus. But there was a purpose: They caused Paul to rely solely on God.

Through reading and studying his letters, we learn Paul wasn't that much different than the rest of us. He too was tempted to rely on his own strength and resources. But the Lord brought him to the end of himself. It was the point where Paul felt so pressed and compressed that he despaired of life. So what purpose can there be in these types of circumstances? Perhaps by enduring our own tribulations we too learn to call upon the Lord and in Him discover greater strength, comfort and hope than we could ever find in ourselves.

One of the reasons we can get so overwhelmed at times is because we aren't dead to ourselves. We still think we have the answer and we're strong enough to overcome our pain. As long as we are lord of our lives we will only trust in ourselves. Until we can't. When circumstances spin out of our control -- panic enters. Should we give up? Throw in the towel? Stop living? No, the answer is simply to die to self. When we do -- just like Paul -- we find that circumstances and people have no power to terrorize a dead person. (Colossians 3:1-3: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.")

Questions to Ponder:

Are you having trouble? Are you still wounded by, or mired in one of the trials and tribulations of this life? Does your marriage seem lifeless? Perhaps your ministry has lost the joy and peace it once had. Stop trying to figure it out. Fix your eyes upon the Cross of Calvary. Nothing else makes sense. Trust in the Lord and find in Him the peace and comfort we all so desperately seek. Trust the God who specializes in raising the dead.

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.