The Resurrection Gives Me Hope
One of my favorite signs that the weather is going to get better is when the daffodils bloom by the roadside. For most of my life, I never noticed these beautiful flowers. As they blow in the breeze, they seem to shout that spring has arrived and that summer is coming. I feel the same way about Easter Sunday. Whether it comes in March or April, I am always reminded that the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives me hope, a sure hope. Easter Sunday shouts that there is hope in this life and the one to come.
Perhaps the greatest comfort the resurrection provides is the hope of eternal life. Jesus Christ conquered sin and the grave. Without the resurrection of Christ, we would be hopeless - “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17) It was a resurrected Jesus who spoke with the Apostle Paul and offered him forgiveness and peace despite all the havoc he wreaked upon the churches. It was a resurrected Lord who saved me at the age of 12 and gave me a new direction in this life and hope in the life to come.
Christ’s resurrection reminds me of the hope that I will see many of my loved ones again. Over the past few years, I have attended or officiated the funerals of friends, classmates, and family members. For those who placed their faith in Christ, I know I will see them again someday. On that street of gold in heaven, I will see a cousin who found Christ in the latter part of his life, a mom who dwindled away in hospice care, a neighbor whose body grew too weary, and many others. If you said farewell to a loved one who was a believer (and you are one too), take heart and be encouraged because you will see them again.
The resurrection of Christ also points me to the future reality that one day I will have a new body. In my 47 years of life, I have been reminded of the frailty of the human body. When I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 30, I thought it was a death sentence. I have since learned that the disease is manageable. When I amputated my left thumb in an accident when I was 35, I had to relearn how to do basic things with a weakened grip. When the dermatologist told me I had malignant skin cancer at the age of 45, I still remember the pit I felt in my stomach. Thankfully, it was at an early stage and could be totally removed. I don’t know what else will happen at 55 and 60, but I do know this. At the marriage supper of the Lamb, I will have no dietary restrictions, all ten fingers, and no worries about cancer because I will have a new body.
Many children spend their time looking for hidden eggs on Easter, but we would all do well to find the risen Lord. If you are a Christian, remember the beautiful truths of the resurrection and let your heart be encouraged. If you don’t know the Lord Jesus, let Him open your eyes and see that He is only way to peace, forgiveness, and joy. He rose again for you!
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:51–55)