4-27-19 Today in the Word

THE GIFT OF THE RESURRECTION
Saturday, April 27, 2019 | 1 Corinthians 15:35–58

About a year and a half ago, I was given five orchid seeds. They were brown and dry and each about the size of a nickel. I soaked the seeds, planted them in soil, and then transferred the saplings outside. I watched as a small plant began to grow, and then, this year, I discovered delicate purple blossoms growing on the small orchid tree. Those flowers looked nothing like the dry brown seed I planted!
In this chapter of Corinthians, the apostle Paul speaks of how we, too, will be transformed. When we die, our bodies are sown like seeds; but as believers, we will be raised again and receive new bodies. All of this is made possible by Jesus Christ and patterned after His example. Jesus died as payment for our sins, was buried, and rose again, conquering the grave. He died and was resurrected so we could live!
Paul explains Christ’s resurrection using the example of a seed. When you plant a seed, you don’t expect the seed to look the same when it grows. In the same way, our new heavenly body will no longer resemble our physical or natural body. We who are perishable will receive a spiritual body that is imperishable (v. 42).
Our earthly bodies are frail. We become ill. We experience pain. We are wounded. We die. Our new, resurrected body will be imperishable. Notice the beautiful contrast between our old and new bodies. Dishonor is changed to glory. Weakness is transformed to power. When we die, our bodies become the dust of the earth but will be raised in the glory of heaven. Once frail and destructible, we will no longer be subject to corruption. We will be made new, perfected in Christ, no longer broken but whole and complete.
APPLY THE WORD
Thank God today for the gift of the resurrection. We thank Him first for His Son, Jesus Christ, who was resurrected from the dead to guarantee our future. Also thank Him for what the resurrection means to you and those you love. Our human bodies will one day be forever replaced with imperishable ones!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t...
Read more

9-25-23 The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas

The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas :: By Bill Wilson Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad’s birthday. And my Dad was well-loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling, and the wind and snow were whipping across the barny...
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th...
Read more