You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:23-25

The colorful blooms of spring ought to fill my head with thoughts of hope and new life, but a recent trip to the dentist has me thinking about decay. In the past, a regime of faithful brushing and flossing inevitably earned its promised reward—a routine cleaning with no follow-up appointments. Not anymore! Age has brought unwelcome change. Tooth enamel has thinned. Old fillings need to be replaced. Weakening teeth require crowns. Don't misunderstand. I'm grateful for the skills of my dentist. Thanks to him I'm still able to eat solid food. But his best efforts only mask the reality that my teeth and the rest of my body will continue to decay.

SIN BRINGS DECAY AND DEATH

I enjoy the intoxicating sights and smells of spring as much as anyone. But in the end, spring's promise of hope and life are nothing more than a temporary illusion providing momentary respite to people living in a world subject to decay. Soon enough spring's colorful blossoms and green grasses take their place rotting with the other waste on the compost pile. My body will decay too. The psalmist once wrote: "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more" (Psalm 103:15,16).

God's law forces me to accept responsibility for every bit of decay afflicting my body. Since sin entered the world, all of creation has been in bondage to decay. I don't need dental work simply because I forget to brush or floss once in a while. My teeth decay because I am a sinner living in a sinful world. Sin has deadly consequences. The words first spoken to Adam still stand today: "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:19).

JESUS GIVES US NEW LIFE

Thank God for the message of the sure hope and everlasting life we hear throughout the Easter season. Jesus broke the stranglehold of decay and death by offering his life for ours. While dying on the cross Jesus suffered the punishment our sins deserved. Yet his body did not see decay. Jesus did not return to dust. He was not abandoned to the grave. God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus as a payment in full for the sins of the world—for your sins and mine.