(1Corinthians 15:32) “…If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
There is a special way in which Paul says things, he puts it out there without much thought given to humanism and I love that about the way he teachers us so many truths about our conduct in Christ. My God give us ears to hear, I pray! Everything about our faith hinges on the resurrection and because it is pivotal we must learn to live accordingly. There are simple truths that should be part of our everyday existence and yet I think on yesterday and consider what part of life the resurrection portrayed with daily living?
Most of my mornings start well as I am thankful to my God and Father for the discipline in my life when it comes to this blog as it helps me to think on Him and consider the cost of the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice. However this practice is normally over as quick as it starts or so it feels. About 2-3 hours of my time in the mornings and then what? Have I now paid my debt, forgive the way I now reason but look to stress a point. Let me think on yesterday. What did my day consist of? At about 8am I had finished my blog and sat around on my computer until about 11am, emails and the like with some fun time with an idle game. I then got in my new car and drove around looking to fix some minor problems that needed to be addressed. I saw the salesmen who sold me the car, then a radio technician, and finally a mechanic with breakfast in-between in a upmarket coffee shop. I converse with many different people but how much of my discussion revolved around the resurrection? Sadly almost now of it! This great hope, heaven and all its privileges, the hope every believer longs for was placed on the back-burner. Why?
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)
I cannot, we cannot switch on the faucet of eternal life like we switch a tap on and off when water is needed. For if this is the way we live our lives all it really proves is that the resurrection has not captivated our souls. I remember as a babe in Christ, when I was newly saved how I instinctively could not shut-up above my new found love. The Lord Jesus was the be all and end all of all conversations and many of my friends and acquaintances turned to Christ. Not all hold to their conviction, but some are alive and well. What then is now missing? Could I have possibly lost my first love? Truth and self reflection is never an easy thing as we love to live in the pretence world of phantasy, but let me rather be honest in considering the facts. Something is no longer how it once was and I pray that I may get back to the place I once lived. My zeal was real and unstoppable, yes it may have been without knowledge, but it was obvious and it was an undeniable fact. Father God I pray that you would once again cause the zeal of love to burn bright and clear.
We are no longer subject to the fear of bondage and death, Christ has freed us from this yoke. Why then do I so easily forget this? I tell you it is because we lose sight of the hope of the resurrection. We need to be reminded of the facts! And that is what Paul now does for us; “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1Corinthians 15:14-17)
But we are no longer in our sins, do you believe this? Believe it we must! But if we believe something strongly enough our conduct will reflect what we believe. May today be a day full of life and please God give us a psalm on our hearts and praise on our lips so that all with will witness the hope we have for the resurrection. There are so many dying in the wicked and perverse generation, how will they know lest we speak: - “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2Corinthians 5:17-21)
So then we pray give us strength Father God to live today in the hope of the resurrection with this expectation that others too may be reconciled to our great God and King in and through His perfect sacrifice.
Signing off
Tyrone
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