READING: Psalm 136-139, 1 Corinthians 15:1-28
Prior to my becoming a believer, I had never attended a funeral service. I knew death was real, but I had not seen a deceased body nor had I faced the death of a close loved one. The first funeral I attended was the memorial service of a faithful believer, and I was frankly caught off guard by the joy in the room. The brother had died of cancer, and the family was rejoicing that he was now with God. They had a sense of peace that surprised me.
Some years later, I led my first funeral service as a pastor. This time, I was the one to guide the family to rejoice over the loss of a believing loved one. To be honest, it was at this point that the hope of the resurrection became most real to me. I could then speak of that hope even while I believed it with a renewed sense of fervor.
I better understood then Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Cor 15:14). If we die and remain in the grave at the end, what reason is there to believe? We don’t, though, stay in the grave. Those who don’t follow Christ will face eternal judgment, but those who do follow Jesus step into eternal life. Our faith is hardly useless; in fact, it affects eternity.
PRAYER: “God, thank You for the promise of resurrection.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalm 140-145, 1 Corinthians 15:29-49