Marissa, Author at Marissa Henley

Your Living Hope {No Matter What Monday}

April 12, 2021 by Marissa Leave a Comment

One day when my son was little, I tried to convince him to go backwards in age instead of growing up. In his most serious, let-me-explain-this-to-you voice, he said, “You can’t do that. You can only be each age one time, and then you die.”

I remember being surprised that he would talk so matter-of-factly about death – even his own. But in the mind of a young child, death seemed far away. He still had decades of birthdays to check off before he got there. He hadn’t yet felt the sting of the death of someone close to him or the fear of a life-threatening diagnosis that could cut those years short.

As we walk through life in a fallen world, we can’t escape the reality of death. Just this week, our church family has grieved sudden losses that impacted two of our extended families. Sin, sickness, and death can steal many things from us – relationships, livelihoods, plans, and dreams – and that’s been startlingly clear this past year.

In our heartbreak, we crave a hope that can survive the pain of death. And we have such a hope in our risen Savior, Jesus Christ:

“According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:3b-4)

Death is rendered powerless by our living hope, because Jesus holds the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). God, in His great mercy, has given us new life here and eternal life in heaven through the resurrection of Jesus. Our living hope fills us with joy and peace, and it assures us of a heavenly inheritance that can never be taken away.

In a world filled with decay, deterioration, and disappointment, we can look forward to an inheritance kept in heaven for us that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Even when we can’t escape the pain of grief, our hope isn’t dead. We have a living hope, because our hope is found in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.

No matter what you face this week, cling to the living hope you have in Jesus Christ.

The Lord Will Fulfill His Purpose {No Matter What Monday}

April 5, 2021 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Am I the only mom who hates Chutes and Ladders? It’s the board game that never ends! You finally get your cardboard kid up to the 80s or 90s, and then you hit that giant chute back to the bottom. You might get lucky and hit a ladder or two along the way. But if everyone keeps hitting those chutes, you start to wonder if anyone will ever win the game and put you out of your misery!

Maybe, like me, you feel that way about the Christian life sometimes. You start to make a little progress exercising self-control over your thoughts or your actions, but then you mess up. You practice kindness and gentleness with your family for a couple of days, but it doesn’t last and your temper erupts. You dig into God’s Word or sit with Him in prayer for a few mornings in a row but then go back to hitting the snooze button.

Little ladders up, giant chutes down.

“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” (Psalm 138:8)

Today’s Scripture brings comfort to our chute-like moments. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for you as He conforms you to the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29) Yes, there will be ups and downs. There will be mistakes with consequences. There will be successes that seem short-lived. But because of the Lord’s steadfast love for you, He will not forsake the work of His hands. And you are the work of His hands.

God has saved you by His grace, and He’s sanctifying you today as you grow in Christlikeness. Through all the ladders and slides, each and every one of His purposes for you will be fulfilled. He can even bring His purposes about as we sit on our bottoms at the end of a chute. Even there, His grace will find us.

No matter what you face this week, the Lord will fulfill His purpose for you.

Jesus Wins {No Matter What Monday}

March 29, 2021 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Have you ever seen the Who Would Win book series? These children’s books depict a hypothetical battle between two animals and predict the outcome. Could a giant squid defeat a whale? What if a tiger and a lion dueled to the death? What about a tarantula vs. a scorpion? That’s a match I hope I never have to see!

Some days, the world around us might make us wonder, “Who’s gonna win? Will God really come out on top here, or are the forces of evil too great?” It seems like sin, wickedness, and death are winning. We watch as violence rages around the world, disease threatens those we love, and sin rips families apart.

The Bible is the ultimate Who Would Win book, and the outcome is not hypothetical. Spoiler alert: Jesus wins. And because we are united to Him by faith, His victory is our victory.

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Through all of March, we’ve been looking at the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection. He became sin for us, shed His blood for our forgiveness, secured our justification, and conquered death. As we live out our days as those who have been redeemed, we also have His power as we deal with the evil we face in this world. We face temptation, and we grieve the effects of this fallen world. But there is hope!

First John 4:4 proclaims that He who is in you (God the Spirit) is greater than he who is in the world (the devil and the forces of evil). God’s victory has already taken place. Jesus Christ sits at the Father’s right hand and reigns over all powers and dominions (Eph. 1:19-21). His Spirit dwells in us, reminding us to not lose heart because glory is coming (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

As you wade through the muck of sin, evil, and the difficulties of life in this fallen world, the One who is in you – the One who will never leave you or forsake you – is greater than your most threatening enemy. You have overcome, because He has overcome.

No matter what you face this week, Jesus Christ gives us the victory.

The Risen Christ Conquered Death {No Matter What Monday}

March 22, 2021 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I’ll never forget the look of joy on his little three-year-old face when he heard the news. My son Christopher was eating breakfast at the kitchen table when he started asking questions about Jesus. He’d heard repeatedly that Jesus had died on the cross for his sins. But apparently we failed to mention one crucial piece of information—Jesus didn’t stay dead. When I mentioned that Jesus rose from the dead, his eyes grew wide, and he exclaimed, “Jesus is ALIVE?!?” He clapped his hands exuberantly and shouted, “Yaaaaaay!”

It was such a joy to witness the moment my son first learned the good news of the resurrection. He realized for the first time that death didn’t win. Jesus isn’t still in the grave. He is risen!

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep . . . “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (I Cor. 15:20 and 55, NIV)

Friend, this is good news: Jesus is alive! He isn’t just a suffering Savior who died in your place but a reigning King who conquered the power of death. He rose victorious over the ultimate enemy. We read in Revelation 1:18 that Jesus holds the keys to death and hades. Death has no power over Him.

Our risen Savior is the firstfruits of the resurrection. “Firstfruits” implies that there are more resurrection fruits to come! When He stepped out of the grave, He made a way for us to have new life in Him now and eternal life with Him forever. Death has no power over Him, and it also has no power over those of us who are in Christ.

This is another one of the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection that we’ve been studying this month. Jesus Christ has given us His sinless record, forgiven our sin, and secured our justification before God.

Even though we feel the pain of death here temporarily, we can look at the empty grave of Christ and say with Paul, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Jesus Christ took the sting of death for us, so we wait eagerly for the day when we feel it no more.

No matter what you face this week, the risen Christ conquered death for you.