O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save and give them victory o’er the grave.
We know that death is certain. At a very early age, we all become accustomed to the fact that people die. We might be comfortable with that reality or we may fear that reality. Either way, we know that it is a reality that awaits us all. While death is certain, eternal life is less so.
Because of the gift of free will, God will not force any of His people to accept the invitation to eternal life. That is the final free will choice that we make. It is sad, tragically so, to consider that some souls have chosen and will choose to reject Jesus’ invitation to eternal life. For them, they will live in an eternal death, far away from God.
That is the tyranny of Satan that Jesus died to destroy. Jesus restores hope and life to His people but we must be the ones to cast off the shackles of sin and death. God will give us every bit of grace that we need to do so if we ask Him; but, God will not make us do so. It is entirely up to us.
Jesus lay in the tomb, in the darkness of death, for three days and then rose from the dead. He gives us victory over the grave. Take it. Cling to it. Do not lose sight of it. Do not lose hope. Our Savior came into the world to save each and every one of us.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for those trapped by their sins that they might receive the grace that they need to break free.