Monday Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-22
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:19
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Devotion:
There are a few bumper stickers which say things along the lines of “you only live once so enjoy it” or “live life to the full” which on the surface seem sound and encouraging; but if man only has hope in Christ in this life only, then surely we have been short-changed! I would rather speak out and say something like “the best is yet to come”. Yes we can enjoy life to the fullest whilst here on earth and yes we should be living it to the full with Christ, but it certainly does not need to end here!
Christ has gone to prepare a place for us in Heaven and He is certainly coming back to take us home; so why should we think that everything has to be done here and now? Our aim should be to prepare for that time with Christ because this life is but a blink of an eye compared to the eternity we will have with Him. I we cannot see past the end of our life then we have given up on the hope that Christ has given us!
Even amongst the Jews there were religious men that believed in a resurrection and others who would not believe it. The apostles were witness to it and so that is what they preached – who are we to say that an eye-witness account is not valid? Our modern courts depend on witnesses and much of the time they are witnesses who did not see anything directly but as a whole they build up a picture of innocence or of guilt. We have eye witness accounts of Christ being born, living, dying, being buried and of having been raised from the dead and walking amongst us once again!
That fact that Christ has risen from the dead gives us the hope that we shall be too. That fact gives us hope when everything else points to nothing. Man embraces the fact that life will end because he sees it all the time. But man also forgets the past when it does not come back and show itself time and time again. Do we really have to be eye witnesses of people being raised from the dead before we believe the truth? Or are we going to trust someone and take their word on it? Part of being a human, never mind a Christian, is trusting in other people. Yes we do have to be careful who we trust, but if they are upholding the truth and God’s Word, then should we not believe that truth? Christ has risen! We have hope!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have to be an eye witness before you believe?
What are you looking forward to after death?
Monday 7 Jan 2013
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