Resurrection, the Promise

In today's health marketplace people can buy certain "spare parts" made of plastic and metal. If you spend enough money you can get new knees, new hips, and assorted other joints and anatomical items. Human beings can now be kept alive by machines almost indefinitely and some people even have their bodies preserved in the hopes of being reanimated at some point in the future. All of this tinkering might make us feel better for awhile but it can't do the one thing that people want more than anything else ... to keep from dying. Humankind is absolutely powerless in the face of death. Death is the one sure thing about life in general.

The fact that death can't be avoided is frightening for many people. But for most believers, the end of physical life has an element of great anticipation and maybe even some excitement, because they know they are about to see the Lord. Jesus' victory over the grave ... His resurrection ... took away the sting of death for believers. Through Him we are made righteous and holy and the Lord God looks upon our cleansed souls and welcomes us into heaven to be with Him. The very thing that gives many people fear and uncertainty has become an unlocked door to eternity with God for the believer. (2Co 5:6-8)

Christ's resurrection assures believers that their place in heaven is secure. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus spoke these words about His Father's house to His disciples: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." (Jn 14:2-3) As believers, we need have no fear of death. The Lord has numbered our days on earth, and when our time comes, we will shed our flesh and join Him in that place He has prepared for us. We will share in Christ's victory over the grave just as He has promised. He does not and cannot and will not lie. The promise of the resurrection is the one thing believers can cling to in the face of death, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus has blazed the way. Heaven is a sure thing.

Well, I'm sure you found my devotional to be a little lighter and a lot shorter this morning. I hadn't meant for yesterday's blog to be so long. It's just that one word led to another then led to another and so on and so on and before I realized what was happening I had this huge blog written and published. I know a long and "deep" devotional can be tiresome so I will try to do better in the future. I want my blog to be as much fun for you as it is for me.

My meeting at church ran late last night and I didn't get home until after dark so we didn't get the deck worked on. We have rescheduled our plans for tonight. I'm so hoping it won't get as hot today and it will cool off earlier than last night did. It was still too warm for me at midnight last night! Michael had hoped we could get up early this morning and get it done but we slept late and it was already hot by the time we got up.

I have some errands to run this afternoon but other than that and the deck I really haven't thought too much about what I want to do today. I'm upset that I missed the lunar eclipse. I honestly hadn't heard anything about it or I would have set my alarm and gotten up to watch it. That'll teach me to not turn on the TV. I checked FOXNews.com every day for my news and I didn't see anything about an eclipse. Rats! I feel let down.

Well, I think I'm going to make this really short today and get some housework done around here. It's time to do the baths again. Funny how they don't stay clean when you clean them, huh? Anyway have a great day and happy blogging to you! Let me know if you like the shorter blog. Everyone's so busy these days sometimes it's hard to find the time to commit to reading a lengthy one. See you tomorrow!