Daily Devotional for Monday, August 18

The Prominence of the Resurrection

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4.

Movies and books are filled with many fanciful stories of people coming back from the dead. Some deal with a magical kiss from the right person to bring them back. Some deal with old spells or the lifting of a curse that brings dead pirates or skeletons back to life with their bones, muscles, ligaments and skin all coming back together to make them whole. We have been desensitized to death and accept the possibility of someone coming back from the dead. We honestly do not see any more how spectacular it would be for someone to come back from the dead.

Not only did Jesus die and was buried, but he also arose from the grave. Who else do you know who has done that? Something that was incredible about his death, burial and resurrection, was that He did it all according to the prophecies of the Scriptures (verses 3, 4). Another amazing fact is that He gave the Jews a sign by telling them that if they were to destroy the temple of His body, that He would raise it back up in three days (John 2:18-22). It is remarkable to me that it took the impossibility of Him rising from the dead for some people to believe in Him. Honestly, all of His miracles, the words He spoke, the prophecy He gave and His death, burial and resurrection all amaze me and speak of who He was, is, and always will be—an awesome Savior.

REFLECTION

What gets to me about His resurrection from the dead is the thought that He even had to die for my sin in the first place, “ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Tim Chambers