Send Jesus to the Door

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NRSV)

The great composer Haydn was once asked why his church music was so full of joy and celebration. He replied with characteristic simplicity: 'When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen. Since God has given me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit.'

I love that. When I think upon God. Not when my circumstances are good. Not when the day is going well. When I think upon God.

This is the secret of lasting joy, and it is simpler than most of us realise. Looking at our circumstances will rarely bring lasting joy. Circumstances are too variable, too unpredictable, too often painful, frustrating or confusing. But when we turn our minds to God, to who He is, to what He has done, to the victory He has already won, something shifts.

Paul writes with a kind of triumphant gratitude: thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Not who will give us victory eventually. Who gives us the victory? Present tense. The victory is already accomplished. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the decisive defeat of sin, death, and the power of the enemy. That is not future hope. That is the present reality.

Every day brings battles and temptations. This side of eternity will not change. But the outcome of the war is settled. And the One who settled it lives within you by His Spirit.

There is a story about a little girl who said that when the devil came knocking at the door of her heart with a temptation, she simply sent Jesus to answer it. I love the theology in that image. You do not have to face your battles in your own strength. You have a Victor living inside you.

When I think upon God. Make it a habit. Let that thought change the temperature of your day.

Prayer: Lord, I choose to think upon You today. Not my problems, not my failures, not my fears. You. The One who has already won. Thank You for the victory that is mine through Jesus Christ. Let that truth be the melody of my day. Amen.

Pastor Ras
All Nations Community Church

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