It’s Friday..Let It Define You

The Resurrection. The Jews were split on the issue. Some believed that God would one day resurrect human beings, others did not. The Greeks believed in the immortality of the soul, but certainly not in a physical resurrection. For everyone, however, the issue was a mysterious, one-day-we’ll-understand issue. No one – absolutely no one – expected to see a resurrected human in their lifetime.

Not until Jesus came, anyway. He raised a few people from the dead Himself – Jairus’ daughter, and His friend Lazarus, to name two – but those were temporary resurrections. Everyone then knew Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus would die again one day. Still, the fact that they would be raised for a time gave hope to eyewitnesses that permanent resurrection was at least theoretically possible. And then when Jesus appeared after being in the tomb for three days. . .

This truth was the earth-shattering foundation for all who truly believed. Jesus’ teachings were profound, His miracles spectacular; but they didn’t define His true followers. A new movement that began in a small Roman outpost was based on a revolutionary, shocking truth: The threat of death had lost its power. A man, certifiably dead, was now alive. And He promised eternal life to everyone who gave their life to Him.

“What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins . . . . that He was raised on the third day . . . , and that He appeared.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

It’s impossible for us to understand, two millennia later, how utterly radical the idea of resurrection was. It was not an illusion of pre-scientific people; Jesus appeared to a lot of people, for many days, and demonstrated His eternal body. Many who saw Him were later martyred for admitting it. That doesn’t happen en masse with illusions. It only happens with historical fact. If you think about it, this fact changes everything. It changes how we live, how we think, how we plan, how we work – everything! Let it change you; no, Let It Define You. Let’s resolve today and every day after, to live a resurrected life.

Have a life-altering weekend. Make it better by worshiping The Lord with those who have been changed by His life and power, and live like it today because they know that will be the case for all eternity.

All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)