SCRIPTURE: Rev. 1:17-18 MSG I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, his voice reassured me: “Don’t fear: I am First, I am Last, I’m Alive. I died, but I came to life, and my life is now forever. See these keys in my hand? They open and lock Death’s doors, they open and lock Hell’s gates.
THOUGHT: When Molly Skaggs sings ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down, I believe her. Can I get an amen!? She talks about how shame and fear are like graves that seek to overcome us, but how the powerful love of God pulls us out.
I am riveted by the picture of Jesus descending and grabbing those keys right from the pit of hell. We probably can’t begin to imagine what that scene was like, and what a transaction took place on our behalf in those hours. This is the battle that overcame shame and fear — but we have to tap into the victory by hiding ourselves in Christ. Romans 6:4 proclaims, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Freedom beckons! Jesus says, “don’t be afraid!”
SONG: Ain’t No Grave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGncW_ueyHA
PRAYER: Jesus, warrior, help us hear the rattle of the keys you hold. You have overcome! Make us brave, hidden in you, as we face our world where fear and shame seek to rule.
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