Read and Study:
Reflect
If Jesus did, indeed, rise from the dead, we have nothing to fear and everything we need. All that we strive for is fulfilled in Jesus. All that we seek to avoid has been resolved by him. For example, if Jesus rose from the dead, we no longer need strive for acceptance because we are now accepted by him. If Jesus rose from the dead, we don’t need to fear death, because it has been defeated. This means that we are free to risk our lives, even at the risk of death, knowing that our eternal fate is already sealed. We can move to distant countries to invest in development and renewal because Christ did the same for the world. Like the early Christians, we care for the poor and marginalized in our cities. If we have resurrection life, we will have courage to take risks in the name of love.
A New Power: Living Through Dying
The resurrected Jesus leads us and empowers us to use all of our gifts and all of our lives for the flourishing of others. Risking our lives for the sake of others looks different for each person. It comes in all kinds of forms, from sacrifice to celebration. Ultimately we find ourselves giving our lives to find our lives.
Jesus tells those who follow him to leave all they have behind, to give their lives to the poor, to love their enemies, and be a blessing to the world. Let’s not pretend this is easy to do. Following Jesus will require your whole life. Not just part of it. Not just your leisure time. Not just some of your budget. No, it requires your whole life. It will feel like death and suffering at times. It will feel that way because you are laying your life down. That’s what the resurrection looks like in daily life. We do not hold anything back--our talents, possessions, or time--because we live with the certainty that death and sin have been defeated. There is no sugar coating it. You will lose your life. It its place you will find a vibrant, full, and eternal life. By dying to ourselves we become alive to the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead empowers us to live a life for Jesus. His death and resurrection has become our death and resurrection. Our old life is gone and we now experience a new authority, identity, and mission.
This is why we give ourselves: we have already died and have been raised again to experience new and abundant life. A life and confidence without comparison. A life with this singular goal: “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
Process
Think back over the last five days, how have you grappled with the power of resurrection in your life?
What would it look like to see the power of Christ drive your everyday life?