Wednesday: The Resurrection and the Life
In a world where death always has the final word, at least for now, what great hope is found in these verses? Luke 7:11-17, Mark 5:21-43, John 11:37-44.
Image © Steve Creitz from GoodSalt.com
Politicians, entertainers, and athletes must necessarily offer something to generate a following. Politicians utilize hypnotic rhetoric and incredible promises. Entertainers use their abilities to generate emotion and audience identification. Athletes amaze throngs with their physical skills. Envious onlookers follow, wishing they possessed such prowess.
What does Jesus offer? Reduced unemployment? Fatter paychecks? Amazing ball-handling skills? Incredible vocal range? Tear-jerking performances? Instead, Jesus offers something no one else in the world can: eternal life in a new world. In contrast to that, what else matters?
While television shopping networks insult our intelligence with their too-good-to-be-true offers, Jesus seemingly exceeds their excesses with His deal-of-a-lifetime: eternal life priced for nothing with absolutely no shipping and handling charges! Skeptics would doubtless scoff about such an unprecedented offer. Competitors would manufacture cheap imitations (such as Satan’s immortal-soul concept). Potential buyers would cautiously investigate the claims. So, Jesus provided three known demonstrations to counter the skeptics, expose imitations, and satisfy genuine seekers. Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son, and, finally, Lazarus proved that this too-good-to-be-true offer was authentic. Disease and accidents might initially prevail, but eternal life would ultimately conquer. Healing would not happen every time requested, but everlasting life was guaranteed to all who made Jesus their Savior.
It’s the same with us today. As we know, many times the healing we want just simply does not come in the way that we want it. People linger, even for years, from debilitating and painful diseases that, far from being healed, sometimes get worse. Others die from disease, despite anointing and prayer. We have no answers as to why, in some cases, healing comes now, and in others it doesn’t.
What we do have, though, is something so much better than even a miraculous healing, and that is the promise of the resurrection to eternal life at the end of the age, when Jesus will come and the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever
(Dan. 7:18, NKJV).
Why is this promise-the promise of eternal life-so crucial and so important to us? Where would we be without it? What hope would you have for anything, anything at all, without it?
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Why this promise is very important to any Christian is that it is at the end of our sufferings as a Christian, we have this hope that this world is not ours we have a better home. Its important to us because we will see our blessed redeemer. The question is: are u ready, are mine ready? Let's think about it
Since this World has nothing Good.Our only Hope is Eternal Life.
people of GOD we must in any way worship our maker because He is great and ALLMIGHTY
The promise of eternal life forms the basis of the christian life. What good or benefit would it be if you are to die and that's it. We go through a lot as Christians in this life but no matter what we go through, no matter how hard the afflictions may be, one thing we are assured is a day will come that those living, and the dead shall be resurrected and together have eternal life with the Father in heaven. What a great hope!!!!!!!
Jesus showed so much compassion during the healing of the widow's only son. He told the Widow, "'do not weep''. This is so touching- how often when we are hurting, we can hear Jesus' voice whispering to us, 'do not weep'' joy will come in the morning. Jesus is always by our sides.
Moveover, what is to be learned and understood from He who is infinite? An answer: The most flavorful morals ever-gained from He who is of divine nobility. Yes, everlasting Life bespeaks quantity; but can you imagine the QUALITY?
Youn, when I think of what lies ahead in Heaven I tend to go into fantasy land that is not grounded in reality and end up exclaiming as scripture does, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9 NKJV).
What I can say for sure is that things will be real. Jesus ascended with a real biological body and as Isaiah said:
The fact is that Heaven starts here and now. As far as God is concerned we are already in Heaven spiritually (Eph 2:4-6) and we can eat of the tree of life now (8 Testimonies 288) because "Christ is the source of our life, the source of our immortality. He is the tree of life" (Review and Herald, Jan 26, 1897, par 10).
To me Heaven is more a matter of attitude and relationship than anything else as it is written, "Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, 'The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say,`See here!' or`See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you'" (Lk. 17:20-21 NKJV). That certainly does not mean that there won't be dramatic physical changes - there certainly will be (1 Cor 15:51-54) but rather that what makes Heaven as great as it is will not be so much the physical but the mental, the philosophical, the relationships that will be there and above all God and His government of love.
We have this hope that burns within our hearts. Without this hope, life will be worthless. What a great joy it be that at the end of all things, when Christ shall come, all of us, our love ones both living and dead will come together, to live together, in happiness without pain and sin forever and ever. The greatest hope of all is to reign with our Lord Jesus Christ as joint-heirs of the Kingdom for eternity. May this be our experience. Amen!!!
It is very important to me for What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see, and I will look upon His face, the one who saved me by His grace, and He'll take me by the hand, and leads me through that promised land, what a day, glorious day that will be amen.....
All the tings mentioned are true, great wonderful and I am not minimizing any of it because I am looking for these things to be fulfilled too. However, I think we miss the main point. Eternal life is an opportunity to honor, thank and praise Him. It is not all about us. It's about Him. Here living the Christian life is an honor and a wonderful opportunity to honor im among our fellows, but to prise Him for all eternity, and tell the wonderful story of redemption for eons to anyone who will listen, And all will listen, and apreciate it too, that's "the glory of,that's the story of" salvation.
This lesson is drawing the mind of us Christians to the end time of the world. So as a brethren's we need to lift the banner of God high and do obey all His decree, if we want to be resurrected or partakers of His kingdom. No matter how the life will be, we must be still continued pressing on till we meet the Lord.