Quail Lake Community Church

Daily Devotional #1,534

Yesterday was the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France in World War II. On that day, thousands of ships and thousands of airplanes and tens of thousands of men attacked the beaches on the French coast. It was costly but it was successful, but all the allied armies had was a foothold on European continent. And when that day, often called “the longest day” was over, many of the German generals agreed that the war was lost. There would be eleven more months of fighting and thousands and thousands of men would be killed before the enemy surrendered. But when that landing was successful, the enemy would be finally and completely defeated. I thought about that yesterday and how that’s what happened on Good Friday. Jesus went to the cross and took the charges against us and nailed them to the cross. He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities of evil and sin and shamed them by his victory over them on the cross. But wait, there still is evil out there…there is still sin everywhere…bad things still happen. The final surrender of those who have opposed God won’t be received until Jesus returns. But when he went to that cross 2,000 years ago…the devil was beaten, he could never achieve victory. There will be millions who will be lost because they refused to believe and accept this free gift of forgiveness and love. But defeat is there, and the great enemy of God and humans will be trampled underfoot and will never again be able to threaten the hearts and souls and minds of those who love this Jesus. So, choose wisely…because when we smell the sweetness of forgiveness…we realize it is the smell…of victory!

Here’s our Bible verse for today…

Colossians 2:13-15 NLT You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. (14) He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. (15) In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Remember I’m praying for you,
PJ