I was just reading Job 13-14 this morning when Job 14:10-12 caught my eye.

But a man dies and is laid low;

man breathes his last, and where is he?

As waters fail from a lake

and a river wastes away and dries up,

so a man lies down and rises not again;

till the heavens are no more he will not awake

or be roused out of his sleep.

There is hopelessness in these verses. Earlier in chapter 14 Job referred to the brevity of life.

“Man who is born of a woman

is few of days and full of trouble.

He comes out like a flower and withers;

he flees like a shadow and continues not (Job 14:1-2).

Life is short and painful, and then we die. That pretty much sums it up. But my mind went to 1 Corinthians 15

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1Cor 15:55-57).

Jesus changes everything. The hopelessness of death is turned to victory. The sting of death is removed. The death and resurrection of our savior moved us from death into life. So, today it is dark, damp, and drear out my window. My wife is away from a few days. I’m tired because I was up late finishing a paper I needed to write. It’s time to leave for my office and I still need to fix breakfast. But today, I celebrate life. The empty grave is my victory. Just the thought of that leaves a smile on your face. Think on it.