Nailed!

Today I read Isaiah 37:5-39:8 and Colossians 2:9-3:7. My favorite verses are:

Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

Colossians 2:13-15 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

In the letters of John we read that God is Love. This verse from Isaiah doesn’t sound very loving, does it? Stop and think for a moment—what could the Assyrians have done that would make a loving God send an angel to destroy 185,000 of them? They threatened His chosen people. They said that they would destroy the city of Jerusalem and that God couldn’t stop them! Be very careful about making arrogant statements saying what you will do—or what God can or cannot do. He just might SHOW YOU His power. If someone poses a threat to God’s people, he has the power to protect His own. In Colossians He reminds us that without Him we were dead; He chose to forgive us of our sins—nail them to His cross—and make us alive with Him. The “principalities and powers” in verse 15 are more than nations on earth; they refer also to the powers of Satan. Jesus Christ, by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, triumphed over Satan and all his cohorts. We can share in this victory if we confess our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior. Satan will continue to fight against us, and he will win some battles; but the ultimate victory belongs to the Son of God who gave His life so that we can have life in Him. Make a commitment today to live that life in a way that brings glory to Him!