Resurrection


Prayer: ”Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”  As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.  For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” [Psalm 16]

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1-10
http://www.esvbible.org/1 Corinthians 15:1-10
 
Think about It: The list of truly amazing events that take place on the pages of the Bible (and thus in reality) is long and filled with the fantastic. Who among us can fathom a 6 day creation, the Red Sea parting, a boy killing a giant with a stone, a man being swallowed by a big fish, a man living in a den of lions  overnight, men surviving a fiery furnace, 10 supernatural plagues, or someone walking on water! And this list is by no means exhaustive. The Bible is filled with startling stories of amazing events. While they are fascinating and bring us to a place of wonder, they don’t really change our lives right now, today; except for one.

Paul makes the case for the resurrection quite emphatically in today’s passage. It is important! Even in Jesus day, there were those who declared the resurrection to be a hoax or a lie. All kinds of conspiracy theories rose up, none of which could be sustained. The risen Jesus simply appeared to way too many witnesses for there to be any doubt whatsoever about His return. He held conversations, ate food, and even worked a few miracles.

The Resurrection of Christ stands as the pivotal event in all of human history. A Man rises from the dead without the help of another person. And this wasn’t just a resuscitation, only to see that Man die again a few years later (as happened with all the other people who were brought back from death in the Bible – they all died again.) No, He went on to ascend into heaven, where He is still today. Why does this Biblical miracle have more impact on me than all the others? Because Jesus promised that because He rose from the dead, so will I! Now it is more than just an interesting story. Now it has eternal impact for each one of us personally. So while a man swallowed by a big fish is intriguing and causes wonder in our hearts, it doesn’t really touch my life. But our personal resurrection from death – now that is worth some attention. And if Jesus wasn’t resurrected, we won’t be either. While Jonah was spit up onto the shore by the big fish without witnesses, Jesus’ resurrection was attested to by hundreds of people who saw Him with their own eyes.

Jesus’ resurrection was accomplished as His victory over death and that victory will be handed to each one of us as we meet Him face to face!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I believe with the early Church fathers, “that Jesus was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve.” Thank You for teaching me about Your resurrection and the power over my life that this    victory has won. Please help me to live out each day in the knowledge that Your resurrections brings me life and eternity with You. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The...
Read more

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv...
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl...
Read more