SCRIPTURE: Judg. 8; Ps. 42; 1 Cor. 15
1 Corinthians 15:16-20 If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.
OBSERVATIONS: I find it really easy not to read literally. But Paul is speaking about some very literal things here when he gets into resurrection. Not easy to get my mind around, to say the least. But there are some cosmic repercussions to the resurrection, and they have to be dealt with.
APPLICATION: My enthusiasm for the people of Raleigh can be misleading. While I love being here, and I am finding more personal and professional satisfaction in my work these days than ever before, I have to be careful to point beyond the inspiration that I’m showing. A major part of my role here to is plug folks into that same source of inspiration; and that is Jesus Christ.
And not just the Felt Board Jesus of our Sunday School, but the living ideation of Christ that can be encountered every day: 1) through Christ-like behavior in those around us–and ourselves, and 2) in the needs of those who are described in Matthew 25–the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned, etc.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to see you more clearly. Amen.
Recent Comments