Author: Mike Costanzo

Jesus Destroys The Works of the Devil

All the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; there is not a single square inch of the world over which He does not have full control.

And yet, this world has been invaded by sin and permeated through and through by evil. The Devil, who is called Satan, has set his throne in our very midst and dwells among us like a prince:

“The prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.”

He prowls around the earth, going to and fro and walking up and down on it, looking for those whom he might devour. He imagines himself a conquering king who has succeeded in taking from God what is rightfully His, and imagines that his dominion is secure.

But all authority on heaven and earth has not been given to him! Satan may be strong, but in the words of Jesus Himself:

“No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strongman. Then indeed he may plunder his house.”

And that is precisely what He has done! Jesus was the one who cast the great dragon out of heaven, throwing him down to the earth along with the rest of the heavenly host that had been corrupted by his sinister words.

Jesus is the one who has bound that ancient serpent, the deceiver of the whole world, and destroyed his unrighteous reign by drowning our condemnation in an ocean of grace.

And one day soon all evil will be slain. Satan and his angels will be thrown into the lake of fire, and all his efforts will be undone. Nothing will remain of all the works of the Devil, because Jesus…

“…has caused his wondrous works to be remembered, and his righteousness endures forever.”

Come Lord, destroy the works of the wicked, and cause Your name to be remembered unto all generations!

Jesus Can’t Be Overindulged In

One of the ways we know that God is good is because He created a world full of pleasures and delights for us to explore and partake of.

But because of the curse of sin, every earthly pleasure can be overindulged in, and thus ruined. Delicious food can lead to discomfort and poor health if overindulged in:

“When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.”

Rest and sleep are a wonderful foretaste of the carefree bliss of heaven, but too much can also bring a curse with it:

“How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?”

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

And even the most foolish among us know that too much drink is likewise destructive:

“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine.”

But Jesus can never be overindulged in! Time spent with Him brings no negative consequence, no bitter aftertaste, no ruination to health or happiness.

Only Jesus can be infinitely partaken of without harm to our bodies or souls; His heavenly feast is the only party where caution can safely be discarded and hedonistic pleasure-seeking be given free reign. Only Jesus feeds us with food that will not kill us, drink that will not drown us, and rest that will not spoil us.

Lord, cause me to lose my appetite for every inferior pleasure, and help me continually hunger for the bread that only You provide!

Jesus Saves Me From Myself

Before I knew Christ, I both loved and hated myself. I loved gratifying the desires of my flesh, and pursued the pleasures of sin with all my heart; but I hated myself for it.

I hated my weakness and dependence on things that I knew were wrong, and yet I also hated my inability to indulge in them more. I wanted the things I wanted, but I didn’t like myself for wanting them. I was one of those of whom it was said,

“Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.”

I was sold as a slave to sin, a dead man walking for whom there seemed no hope of ever gaining freedom.

But Jesus died to Himself to save me from myself! Unlike me, He loved not His life even unto death, but for the joy before Him endured the cross so that I might be liberated from self-created narcissistic slavery.

His salvation is so complete that I no longer have a “self” apart from Him; my now life is hidden with Christ, and it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And even now, He calls me to die to myself daily so that I might gain Him.

“When Christ who is your life appears, you shall also appear with Him in glory.”

Wherever I go, sin is close at hand; it crouches at the door, and its desire is for me. But I no longer hate myself, because sin is no longer the source of my life and desire—it is no longer me.

“Thanks be to God, through Christ Jesus our Lord!”

Jesus Never Stops Loving Me

Part of what it means to be made in God’s image is being hard-wired to love.

Human love is in some senses deep and universal; and yet, as much as I may wish to exalt the love I feel for those closest to me, it is often fickle, fragile, and selfish. When those I love hurt or disrespect me—or even inconvenience me—my love for them becomes tempered with resentment and disdain.

How easy it is to love others when they love me according to my every whim! Even the worst human beings can feel love for those that “love” them by catering to their wishes.

But Jesus is different! Even while we were still enemies, Christ died for us.

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Jesus is infinitely more disrespected by the smallest idolatries of my heart than I could ever be, and yet He does not stop loving me. He sees the full depth of my shame and depravity, and yet he never stops loving me.

His death has turned away all wrath: there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. No matter how much I may stray, He never disdains me or resents my existence; on the contrary, His love is perfect and casts out fear and judgment.

How amazing to be loved with everlasting love! Even when the best of human loves fail, His love never wavers:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”

That is why heaven eternally rings with this chorus:

“The steadfast love of the Lord endures forever!”

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness!”

Jesus Heals the Incurable Wound

Sin is a chronic, progressive, and eternally lethal disease that attacks the human soul.

It affects our minds as well as our hearts:

“The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds.”

The effects of sin are continual and without respite:

“Sickness and wounds are ever before me.”

And worse still, there is no naturally occurring cure for it among mankind:

“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound.”

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

As Micah said of Jerusalem, so it may be said of us:

“Her wound is incurable.”

But Jesus, the Great Physician, came to this sin-sick earth to procure a permanent and glorious cure to our incurable wound. Although He had no sin of His own,

“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Jesus is the only doctor who ever healed His patients by taking their diseases upon Himself, and dying so as to remove their disease from off the earth.

He is only the physician who chose not to heal Himself, but gave Himself up for us all. That is why we need Him!

Let us daily apply the healing balm of Gilead to our sinful souls, for

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

Jesus Makes Us Kings and Queens

When Saul was first appointed King of Israel, he attempted to hide the matter from his kinsmen, and even attempted to escape his coronation by hiding himself among the baggage.

Why? Perhaps he feared that he was unfit for the position, or perhaps he simply desired for things to stay as they always had been.

Whatever the case, after his installation as King, he immediately rejoined the oxen and went back to plowing fields. It was not until the “Spirit of God rushed upon him” that he irreparably left his old ways by sacrificing the very oxen he had been following and embraced his new identity.

Is it not the same with us? Jesus, the King of Kings, desires to give us authority to reign and rule as monarchs:

“You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

And just as Saul was anointed, so it is said of us,

“You have been anointed by the Holy One.”

Why then should we hide from this high calling and return to our former estate when given a promise of this magnitude? On the contrary,

“If we endure, we will also reign with him.”

Lord, give us grace to believe that You have chosen us to reign with you. May Your Spirit rush upon us, that we may sacrifice what we know for the sake of the calling we have been given, the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus!”

Jesus’ Plans Always Succeed

All of us make plans, and all of us want those plans to succeed. At our best, we recognize that our efforts may fail, but often we are not at our best. We often expect that things will go our way, imagining that the universe is predictable and exploitable enough to supercede any necessity of divine intervention or assistance. But only Jesus has such power and prerogative: “He is unchangeable, and who can turn Him back? What He desires, that He does.” And in fact, He only does what He desires: “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that he pleases.” If Jesus opens the door, no one in heaven on earth will be able to shut it; if He shuts, no one opens. And not only are His plans infinitely authoritative, they are also exhaustive. His sovereignty extends to every minute detail of our lives, including the intentions of our hearts: “The king‘s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever he will.” Everything in the universe is precisely as He intends it to be. Therefore, if we are wise, we will surrender our plans to His: “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”

Jesus Knows What We Need Before We Ask

Many times when I am troubled or discouraged, I have no idea what I need. Even when I think I know what I need, I am often wrong, and end up chasing vain hopes and misguided solutions. What a comfort, then, that Jesus knows what I need before I ask him! I don’t have to understand my need in order to obtain divine assistance; I just need to admit it. I don’t have to heap up empty words or have a liturgical formula prepared for every season of need; on the contrary, “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.” And in fact, it is often best if we come to God in wordless desperation: “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” So we come in faith that when we pray, Jesus knows our needs better than we do, and will give us what is best. Just as the hairs on our head are numbered, so are our needs! “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus is the King of Glory

Glory is a strange concept, hard to explain but impossible to ignore. When that which is glorious appears, everything else around it seems to fade and become as nothing. How much more so the glory of God! Its majesty is terrifying and ultimately lethal to sinners: “No one may look upon my face and live.” And yet, somehow Jesus walked among us and spoke with us face-to-face without destroying us. He who was rightly named the Glory of Israel, the Glorious One, became a little lower than the angels, of low standing among men and of no repute. “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.” Very few saw His true glory because it was displayed in grace, forgiveness, and mercy. In the Old Testament, the King of Glory is “strong and mighty in battle,” a conquering sovereign who dominates His foes. But Jesus offered Himself up as a sacrifice, allowed Himself to be killed, and in doing so conquered the supreme enemies of mankind: death, hell, and sin. His victory is complete, and when His people finally see His glorious face, they will live forever and ever. “Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.”

Jesus Makes All Things New

Jesus made all things: “without Him was made nothing that has been made.” Every landscape is His artwork; every fixture in the heavens is called out by name. Even the rhythms of nature are His doing: “The Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the Lord of hosts is his name.” The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. But He has already surpassed creation by a new work, a superior achievement. By His meritorious life and sinless, substitutionary death, Jesus has made all things new for those who believe. Instead of death, we are given life; instead of judgement, grace; instead of hell, heaven; instead of decay, eternity. This work of re-creation first requires destruction: the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. And we too must have our sinful hearts cauterized and our corruptible bodies returned to dust before His work of re-creation can be fully realized. As glorious as the new heavens and the new earth will be, which He has been preparing since His ascension, how much more glorious will His fully sanctified and re-created people be? “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.'”