Day: April 21, 2014

The Day After

Read or Listen:  1 Corinthians 15:14-20

It’s a cruel joke that the day after Easter is Monday.  Can’t we have another Saturday or Sunday… actually, ANYDAY will do… except Monday! Why do we hate Mondays? We, as Americans live, most of the time, running on empty. Wise Solomon compared his search for fulfillment (through relationships, accomplishments, & possessions) to ‘chasing the wind.’ Such is life…isn’t it?

family-time-Jesus didn’t say it this way, but if you add up what He said and did, you could sum it up with this simple statement: “Empty Tomb = Full Life.”

Christians often talk about how that what Satan offers is empty and vain. yet the majority of Christians live, at best, half-lives. More empty than full, more cloudy than sunny, more searching than satisfied. Why? I believe it is because we have confined the power of the empty tomb to a season – to a single day.

I challenge you to let Easter invade your Monday. Let it spill out into this entire week… and further. But how? Take time to read 1 Cor. 15:14-20.

  1. Live with assurance.  Let your faith be your foundation! Those who
    believe in the resurrection believe the TRUTH and are God’s children!
  2. Live in victory.  We are forgiven through Christ because He defeated sin’s consequence on the cross. Your faith has merit… and lots of it!
  3. Live with hope.  Believers have comfort in loss, in death, and in terrible circumstances. We don’t need to live in misery or be pitied. The empty tomb is proof that Hope Lives!  So live there—in hope!

The Resurrection is a gift, just like the picture depicts. How will it affect you?

Prime-Time Discussion:

Let’s play a silly game of “IF-THEN!” Rules: be creative & have fun.
The youngest starts with “If I were a _________…” And the next-oldest
finish, “Then I would _______.”

How many IFs are there in these verses? Are any of these still IFs or are they all settled?

What would happen if you flipped the three ‘major’ IFs (vs 14, 17, 19) into SINCE-statements? (“Since Christ is raised from the dead…”)

Night-Time Prayer:

I praise You, Lord, for the empty tomb!

devotion by Patrick Nix