Pyrrhic Victories

Nº 138 weekly devotions to refresh your soul by Dr. Dan Bolin - March 23, 2021

“Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection. Let him say not merely, ‘Christ is risen,’ but ‘I shall rise.’” - Phillips Brooks

In 280 BC Pyrrhus, a Greek king with dreams of repelling Rome’s growing dominance in the Mediterranean world, invaded Italy. His 25,000 soldiers and 20 war elephants defeated the Roman army in a series of battles, but he never obtained a decisive victory. Every battle cost him more fighters. Within a few years the victories proved his undoing, and he returned to Greece – victorious, yet defeated. In the Garden of Eden, on Mount Calvary, and in our lives, Satan briefly enjoys a few Pyrrhic victories. He wins some battles but loses the war. Early in Scripture, God cursed the serpent (representing Satan) predicting Christ’s ultimate victory while acknowledging Satan’s limited success. “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) On Christmas, Christ lovingly set his foot on earth. On Good Friday, Satan struck His heel. But Satan’s Pyrrhic victory didn’t last long. The events of Easter turned the tables, proclaiming God’s ultimate victory. This Easter season, remember, all our guilt, pain, and losses are merely Satan’s Pyrrhic victories. Christ alone wins the war. This Easter, say with Paul, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:57).

Dan Bolin President Refueling in Flight Ministries, Inc