April 2, 2024
Tuesday, April 2, 2024:
Pause. Pray. Read. Be still. Write. Pray. Go about your day or turn in for the night.
Read: 1 Corinthians 15: 40-49 Resurrection Glory
40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. The heavenly bodies have one kind of glory, and the earthly bodies have another kind of glory. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, the moon has another kind of glory, and the stars have another kind of glory (but one star is different from another star in its glory). 42 It’s the same with the resurrection of the dead: a rotting body is put into the ground, but what is raised won’t ever decay. 43 It’s degraded when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised in glory. It’s weak when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised in power. 44 It’s a physical body when it’s put into the ground, but it’s raised as a spiritual body.
If there’s a physical body, there’s also a spiritual body. 45 So it is also written, The first human, Adam, became a living person and the last Adam became a spirit that gives life. 46 But the physical body comes first, not the spiritual one—the spiritual body comes afterward. 47 The first human was from the earth made from dust; the second human is from heaven. 48 The nature of the person made of dust is shared by people who are made of dust, and the nature of the heavenly person is shared by heavenly people. 49 We will look like the heavenly person in the same way as we have looked like the person made from dust. (1 Corinthians 15:40-49, CEB)
As I age squarely into the third third of my earthly life, Easter has become my favorite holiday to celebrate. Christ is risen, indeed! And Christ’s resurrection speaks HOPE.
Some Corinthians doubted the reality of the resurrection. Books today still exist questioning whether it is fact or fiction. Yet, why else would the apostles risk their life and suffer martyrdom to proclaim the good news of Christ if not for that HOPE (or blessed assurance) that we, too, will experience the same resurrection glory as our Savior.
Back up a few verses in today’s passage, and the apostle Paul reminds us that Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours as well as the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom here on earth. If that isn’t enough, he also describes the physical, mental, and relational changes that take place. According to Paul, when we decide to follow Jesus,
- We step off the finite timeline of life and walk onto the eternal one.
- Our bodies are first sown as physical and perishable, will be raised as spiritual and imperishable.
- We are sown in dishonor with sinful natures but are raised in glory, perfect in every way.
- We are sown in weakness but raised with His supernatural power.
Do I believe in this HOPE of resurrection glory? Absolutely. I bank my life on it.
Be still and Reflect: Read again the four bullets describing what happens when we decide to follow Jesus. Replace your name in the place of “we” and “our.” How do these realities change how you approach your day?
Pray: Lord God, I am filled with awe and gratitude for the assurance of resurrection glory. Because of this profound truth in my heart, I can approach each day with renewed purpose and strength. Thank You for enabling me to walk in faith, trust in Your promises, and embrace the transformation You bring. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria