Tag Archives: Resurrection

Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Not Goodbye But See You Later

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The pain is real, and so is the hope.

Lazarus was a good brother and great friend. He was close to his siblings and friends, but suddenly one day, he was not there. He had passed away.

His sisters were filled with grief. Their pain was real; their hearts hurt as their tears flowed. Lazarus’ friends, including Jesus, were saddened. Jesus wept. Their pain was real; their hearts also hurt as tears flowed.

As they were hurting, Jesus offered hope.

Jesus says in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though they die.”

The hope offered to Lazarus’ family and friends was as real as the pain. It was a hope in the fact they were not saying “goodbye,” rather “see you later.”

The pain of losing someone close to us is hard. Grief is real, and our hearts hurt as our tears flow. It may be losing a spouse, parent, sibling, or friend causing the pain. For Chris Young, it was losing his best friend Adam.

This loss was part of the inspiration for Young’s song Drowning. The lyrics remind us grief is real, and it comes in waves. The song also reminds us we have hope of seeing our loved ones again. You may be drowning today, but you can have hope in the reality it is not “goodbye,” but “see you later.”

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live even though he dies.” John 11 records Jesus calling Lazarus from the grave shortly after saying these words. Mary and Martha were able to see Lazarus again. Jesus himself went into the tomb but came back out. He reigns over death.

Though losing someone is hard, it does not have to be “goodbye” we say. We only have to say, “see you later.”

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Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Sunday…A Risen Hope

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Don’t look for the living among the dead.

As the sun rose, the ladies were up and gathering spices. They planned to give Jesus as proper of a burial as they could. They didn’t find what they were expecting when they arrived at the tomb.

Luke 24 says, “They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance, so they went in, but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground, then the men asked, ‘Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here. He has risen from the dead. Remember what he told you back in Galilee. That the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.’ Then they remembered that he had said this, so they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples, and everyone else, what had happened.”

This would have been quite a scene. The disciples were still processing events and trying to figure out what to do next. Suddenly the door flies open and Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James rushed in followed by several other women. Perhaps all talking at once as they gave the exciting news to the Apostles.

Put yourself in the room. What would have you thought? What did the disciples think?

Luke 24:11-12 says, “But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings. Then he went home again, wondering what had happened.”

The news seemed like nonsense to the disciples. They thought the ladies were so grief-stricken they were hallucinating. It certainly would have taken me a minute to grasp everything the ladies were saying, so I can understand the disciples struggle.

It took a minute, but the disciples started to grasp the fact Jesus was no longer in the tomb. He had risen. The hope they thought they lost on Friday is found.

The same hope is still here today. We celebrate today because Jesus has struck a death blow to death. Enemies defeated; Jesus is preparing Heaven for our arrival. That is what we celebrate today.

Our celebrations may look different than previous years. No matter the look or size of the celebration, the hope is the same. We can celebrate an eternal hope in Christ Jesus, who has risen, and that is worth celebrating.

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Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Saturday…In Between

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In between hopeless and hopeful.

Yesterday was Friday, and it was an eventful day for the disciples. They watched as Jesus was crucified, and it was an emotionally draining day. They are unaware tomorrow is Sunday, and it too will be an eventful day. Today, Saturday, the disciples are in between. They are in between hopelessness and hopefulness. They are recovering from a devastating week, and they must decide what to do next.

Some of them go back to the only thing they know. They go back to fishing. If only they were aware of tomorrow’s events. They could anticipate what was to come.

Life sometimes puts us in between. We find ourselves having to recover from devastation. We are in between illnesses and healthy tomorrows. We are in between a broken heart and great relationship. We are in between loss and life after the loss. We are in a season when we must decide what to do.

Thankfully, we have hope because Sunday has already come. We can base our decisions on hope. We can anticipate what the Lord is going to do. As you find yourself in between, cling to the hope that you have in Christ.

Cling to this hope that will never erode or fade, never perish or spoil. As you are in between, cling to this hope that is eternal and in Christ.

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