“When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?’” – 1 Corinthians 15:54-55
Someone very close to me passed away this week. He was a very godly man whom I have looked up to since the time I was a teenager. He loved his wife, loved his children, and, most importantly, he loved his Savior. His example has played a huge role in how God has shaped me as a man. His passing was unexpected. He was a very healthy man in his mid-seventies, but he sustained injuries in a car accident that would eventually take his life. This sudden loss of such an amazing man has been incredibly difficult. His love, joy, and wisdom will be missed. We are grieving deeply.
As I pray and reflect here this morning, however, I am comforted. As difficult as this is, there is no sense of defeat. Death has no victory. I will miss this man, but not for long. He has now been clothed with immortality. In the loss of his physical body, death has not been victorious; death has been defeated. There is no sorrow, no pain, and no fear for him. Every hurt has now been swallowed up and all that remains is pure and perfect eternity with the Savior he loved so dearly while he was here on this earth. If the worst blow death can deliver is the loss of a broken body and the transition to a perfect one, then death holds absolutely no fear for us. I miss my beloved brother in Christ and my godly mentor. But I do not weep for him. I look forward to the day when we will once again fellowship in the presence of Jesus.
If you do not have this same peace today, it can be yours through Jesus Christ. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. He has died so that you can live. I pray today that you can say along with me, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon
