Impossible to Hold

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. (Acts 2:24) 
 
Jesus delivered a blow to death, ending its power to intimidate and defeat His followers. According to Peter, “having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he (Jesus) should be holden of it” (Acts 2:24). 
 
Peter said these words to a crowd in Jerusalem. Perhaps many of them had been the ones yelling out, “Crucify him!” to condemn Jesus (Matthew 27:22). As a result, Roman soldiers fastened Him to a cross where He hung until they confirmed He was dead. Jesus’s body was carried to a tomb where it stayed for three days until God resurrected Him. After His resurrection, Peter and others spoke and ate with Him, and after forty days they watched Him ascend into heaven (Acts 1:9). 
 
Jesus’s life on Earth ended amidst physical suffering and mental anguish, yet God’s power defeated the grave. Because of this, death—or any other struggle—lacks the ability to keep us in its grip forever. One day all believers will experience everlasting life and wholeness in God’s presence. Focusing on this future can help us find freedom today. 
 
Dear Jesus, Your victory over death gives me hope! I praise You as the resurrected One who died so that I could have eternal life. Amen. 
 
This devotion blessed me because it’s an incredible reminder of eternal hope in Christ. No matter what we face here and now, we have a hope of eternal life. The key is this, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10). The grip of the grave is no match for the power of God. 
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord! 
 
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 9:10