Word for the day “Resurrection Message”
I Corinthians 15:16-20 (MSG) 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.
THE RESURRECTION IS THE VICTORY WE HAVE FOR LIFE’S HOPELESS ENCOUNTERS.
What gives a widow courage as she stands beside a fresh grave? What is the ultimate hope of the person disabled, person abused, the burn victim? What is the final answer to pain, mourning, senility, insanity, terminal diseases, sudden calamities, and fatal accidents? The answer to each of these questions is the same: The hope of bodily resurrection.
We draw strength from this single truth almost every day of our lives, more than we realize.
It becomes the mental glue that holds our otherwise shattered thoughts together. Impossible though it may be for us to understand the details of how God is going to pull it off. We hang our hopes on fragile, threadlike thoughts that say, “Someday, the Lord will make it right,” and “Thank God, all this will change,” and “When we are with our Lord, we shall be like our Lord” (I John 3:2). More than a few times a year I look into red, swollen eyes and remind the despairing and the grieving that “there’s a land that is fairer than day. Whereas, John promised in the Revelation, “He shall wipe away every tear there shall no longer be any death, any mourning or crying or pain there shall no longer be any curse or any night because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 21:4; 22:3, 5).
Glory be to God for such wondrous hope given to each of us that have received Jesus our Lord. Just imagine those persons physically disabled today will one day leap in ecstatic joy. Those who spend their lives absorbed in total darkness will see every color in the spectrum of light. In fact, the very first face they will see will be the One who gives them sight! Glory be to God for such wondrous hope again! There’s nothing like the hope of resurrection to lift the agonizing spirits of the heavyhearted. But how can we know for sure, some may ask. What gives us such assurance, such as unshakable confidence? Those questions have the same answer: the fact of Christ’s resurrection is our hope and promise from the Lord.
IN CHRIST, WE HAVE THE HOPE THAT ALL THINGS WILL BE MADE RIGHT.
Knowing that God has everything under control and that He is ultimately holding our lives in His hands can clear our minds to be able to more fully trust in Him. From my personal experiences in life, there have been countless times when I thought I had traveled too far off from the purpose and plan that God had for me. I had started to believe there was no way I would get through hardship or past a mistake made or even willful negligence. In each one of these circumstances, God pulled me through with his glorious plan, replacing whatever I had lost with something far greater than I could've ever imagined. The making things right by God has shown up in my life different facets of my life. In my walk with the Lord, in my marriage, in relationships with family and friends, and in the greatest hurts of my life.
God has made it right, and I am still counting on the Lord to make it right for me and for you. I have learned the Lord will not bypass the developmental part of our lives. I have learned and still learning how to embrace the uncomfortable seasons of life with God’s leading. It doesn’t matter where we come from or who we are, we must learn the value of dark times and places in our lives. God could not perform a resurrection in our lives until we had experienced a loss, a death whether literal or figurative. God could not perform the miracle of resurrection for maximum results, outcome, fulfillment, without our willingness to lay down our lives in submission to His plan for us.
POINT TO PONDER
Because Jesus has been raised, we too shall rise! No wonder we get so excited every Easter/ Resurrection! No wonder we hold nothing back as we smile and sing and celebrate the Lord’s miraculous resurrection from the grave! Jesus Himself promised: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (John 11:25). May you and your family have a remarkable Resurrection weekend, we love you, we have a place for you, we have a heart for you!
The Resurrection is one of the most essential parts of our faith in Jesus.
Are you in need of Resurrection experience with the Lord?
Do you believe God is going to make things right in your life?
Is your identity wrapped in yourself or the Lord?
What does the message of the Resurrection mean to you?
Special thanks!
Pastor James Baker, Jr. and our leadership team are especially thankful for those of you who provided financial donations and support in the month of April 2021, by partnering with us in efforts to advance the kingdom of God in this 21st century season: Special thanks to Ms. Annette Straker, Ms. Rita McGuffin, Mr. Kenneth Washington, Ms. Mable Bazemore, Ms. Evelyn Rosado, Ms. Itholear Abbott, Mrs. Barbara Mason, Ms. Jeanette Grant, Ms. Angela Battle, Pastor Raymond Phillips, Mr. William Jones, Ms. Angie Scraders-Murphy, Mr. Calvin Jackson, Mr. Calvin Griffith, and Ms. Gertrude Scott.
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Kingdom Blessings,