It’s Sunday night. How you feeling about the week ahead?
Your answer to that question depends on which of two moments you’re living in, two moments that are the hinges of human history.
Moment One:
When Adam and Eve took the first bite of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, trusting Satan instead of God and plunging the world into sin and death.
Moment Two:
When, in the silence of the tomb after the crucifixion, Jesus’ heart began to beat, conquering death and bringing righteousness and life to the world.
The first moment doomed us.
The second moment saves us.
Because the first Adam sinned, the second Adam - the true and better Adam - became sin for us. This was the only way to satisfy God’s justice, so he willingly went to the cross and breathed his last.
And then, after three days of awful silence, Jesus’ heart took the first beat, his lungs took the first breath, and he walked out of the tomb.
This is exactly what God said was going to happen in Genesis 3:15 - that Satan would bruise Jesus’ heel (by putting him to death), but Jesus would crush Satan’s head (by coming back to life).
So when your week is not what you planned - the appliance goes out, the doctor says “cancer,” the car won’t start, the kid won’t listen, the addiction won’t let go, the dread squeezes your chest, the lies echo in your head, the loved one is gone - remember:
Moment One ushered in this sin and pain and death.
Moment Two conquered all of it.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death, and that happened when Jesus’ heart began to beat again.
These enemies we’re fighting now can be overwhelming, but they’re temporary. Because of that second moment, Jesus is with us both now and forever.
Two moments: Adam and Eve taking the first bite and Jesus’ heart taking the first beat.
The second reverses the first.
Live in that glorious reality no matter what the next seven days hold.
Grace and peace to you in the week ahead.
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Encouragement for the Week Ahead
