daily meditation: the resurrection

A few weeks ago my life group leader, Josh, gave me a short book, A Gospel Primer, and assured me that it was one of the better books out there. And, though there is nothing especially "great" about it, I had to agree. It's simple. It's concise. And, it is convicting.

It is those things because it is just the Gospel, spelled out in three different ways. It urges those who read it to daily meditate on the Gospel and so here I have decided to provide short, daily meditations on different aspects of the Gospel so that we might better live in light of it. (It will also force me to be disciplined in my own daily meditations.)

So, without any further ado, today's meditation on the resurrection:

"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ."

The implications and good news that result from the fact of Christ's resurrection are far-reaching but perhaps the two greatest things that come from it are that Christ is now seated at the right hand of God and we have been given newness of life.

Christ finished the work and conquered death so completely that he rose again and lived. He came alive to show us the image of our own deaths and resurrections in him. He sat down to give us a view of the rest of God that we will one day enter.

We are alive, together with Christ, and the same spirit that raised him is at work in us. That is an unbelievable thing. The same exact spirit that had the power to raise the Son of God is working in us to live lives worthy of the gospel.

The resurrection is essential because death without life would be useless. But, Christ has been raised and we have been raised with him. Rejoice in this today. Live in light of it and look to the risen Savior today.

-joe