Post by solitarysoul on Apr 25, 2007 21:12:31 GMT -5
"The Resurrection" - Devotion for April 8th, 2007
Today's Scripture
"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." - John 11:25-26
Today's Word
A married couple from Chicago were planning a vacation to Florida, but the wife could not join her husband on the flight because she was on a business trip. The husband quickly wrote down her e-mail address upon leaving so that he could let her know that he arrived safely.
Unfortunalty however, he managed to lose the little sheet of paper on the flight. Trying his best to remember her address, he wrote her a brief e-mail and sent it off.
His wife never got the e-mail. Instead, it was sent to a widow who was grieving over the loss of her husband, a preacher, who had died just the day before. Upon reading the e-mail, the lady let out a scream while jumping out of her chair, and fainted. Her family rushed in to see what had happened and when looking at the e-mail they read, "Dearest wife, I just checked in. Everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P.S. It sure is hot down here!"
I don't know if this is a true story or not, but fortunatly for us, because of Christ's resurrection we will never have to fear death or hell if we put our faith in Him.
Many people mistake Christmas for being the most important holiday in the Christian faith, because it celebrates the birth of Jesus. But actually, Easter is even more important than Christmas, because if it were not for Christ's ressurection, He wouldn't have saved us from anything.
The entire Christian faith is built off of this incident. Christianity did not exist until Christ had ascended into Heaven. Jesus was a Jew when He lived on earth. Within just a couple months after the resurrection, we see the disciples transform from confused, scared, and sometimes wreckless young men, to confident and faithful believers in Christ. After the resurrection, Peter, who denied Jesus three times, confidently professed his faith in Christ in front of the very council that condemned Jesus to be crucified. James, Jesus' brother who originally did not beleive Jesus was the Messiah, also became a very confident believer in Christ. Saul of Tarsus, who was one of the biggest Christian persecuters of the time, became one of the biggest Christian missionaries after he encounted the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. The fact that Jesus physically rose from the dead proves that He is in fact the Son of God, because He has been the only one to conquer death.
In all these incidents we see people take on a dramatic change in their lives, a reformation. This is the theme of Easter, the purpose of the Resurrection, and therefore what it actually means to be a believer in Christ. A reformation, or rebirth. Our old lives must be crucified and cast away, in order to take on the new life in Christ. We have to experience a death before our physical death, so that we can be resurrected.
Jesus did not die so that you and I could live happy and successful lives. He died so that if we believe in Him and are reborn in the Holy Spirit, we are saved and will join Him in everlasting life. It is a change from our old self to the new. Letting go of pride, habits, concerns, resentment, anger, hobbies, interests, lifestyles, etc., whatever is necessary, and taking on new habits of patience, love, forgiveness, and a focus on God and His Word rather than the world.
The message of Easter is the message of forgiveness. Christ died so that we may be forgiven of our sins. But it takes a choice on our part to accept such a gift. We are not forgiven just because we acknowledge that Jesus died for us. We are forgiven by faith in Him and that sacrifice, which is accompanied by works and fruit. To accept Christ's forgiveness of our sins, is to forgive others of all their sins against us.
Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Copyright © 2007 T. Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com
Please feel free to forward this message on as much as you like, as long as this copyright stays intact and the
devotion is not altered.
This devotion may NOT be redistrubuted for profit.
Today's Scripture
"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." - John 11:25-26
Today's Word
A married couple from Chicago were planning a vacation to Florida, but the wife could not join her husband on the flight because she was on a business trip. The husband quickly wrote down her e-mail address upon leaving so that he could let her know that he arrived safely.
Unfortunalty however, he managed to lose the little sheet of paper on the flight. Trying his best to remember her address, he wrote her a brief e-mail and sent it off.
His wife never got the e-mail. Instead, it was sent to a widow who was grieving over the loss of her husband, a preacher, who had died just the day before. Upon reading the e-mail, the lady let out a scream while jumping out of her chair, and fainted. Her family rushed in to see what had happened and when looking at the e-mail they read, "Dearest wife, I just checked in. Everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P.S. It sure is hot down here!"
I don't know if this is a true story or not, but fortunatly for us, because of Christ's resurrection we will never have to fear death or hell if we put our faith in Him.
Many people mistake Christmas for being the most important holiday in the Christian faith, because it celebrates the birth of Jesus. But actually, Easter is even more important than Christmas, because if it were not for Christ's ressurection, He wouldn't have saved us from anything.
The entire Christian faith is built off of this incident. Christianity did not exist until Christ had ascended into Heaven. Jesus was a Jew when He lived on earth. Within just a couple months after the resurrection, we see the disciples transform from confused, scared, and sometimes wreckless young men, to confident and faithful believers in Christ. After the resurrection, Peter, who denied Jesus three times, confidently professed his faith in Christ in front of the very council that condemned Jesus to be crucified. James, Jesus' brother who originally did not beleive Jesus was the Messiah, also became a very confident believer in Christ. Saul of Tarsus, who was one of the biggest Christian persecuters of the time, became one of the biggest Christian missionaries after he encounted the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. The fact that Jesus physically rose from the dead proves that He is in fact the Son of God, because He has been the only one to conquer death.
In all these incidents we see people take on a dramatic change in their lives, a reformation. This is the theme of Easter, the purpose of the Resurrection, and therefore what it actually means to be a believer in Christ. A reformation, or rebirth. Our old lives must be crucified and cast away, in order to take on the new life in Christ. We have to experience a death before our physical death, so that we can be resurrected.
Jesus did not die so that you and I could live happy and successful lives. He died so that if we believe in Him and are reborn in the Holy Spirit, we are saved and will join Him in everlasting life. It is a change from our old self to the new. Letting go of pride, habits, concerns, resentment, anger, hobbies, interests, lifestyles, etc., whatever is necessary, and taking on new habits of patience, love, forgiveness, and a focus on God and His Word rather than the world.
The message of Easter is the message of forgiveness. Christ died so that we may be forgiven of our sins. But it takes a choice on our part to accept such a gift. We are not forgiven just because we acknowledge that Jesus died for us. We are forgiven by faith in Him and that sacrifice, which is accompanied by works and fruit. To accept Christ's forgiveness of our sins, is to forgive others of all their sins against us.
Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Copyright © 2007 T. Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com
Please feel free to forward this message on as much as you like, as long as this copyright stays intact and the
devotion is not altered.
This devotion may NOT be redistrubuted for profit.