The Reality of the Resurrection

"For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." (Romans 6: 4, NLT)

I have been reflecting on the reality of the resurrection over the past few days. What an incredible gift that we have been given in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection needs to be evident in our daily lives as Christians. The resurrection is really what sets us apart from every other religion. We serve a God who is alive and who still works and moves in our lives daily. The scripture above states that because Christ is raised from the dead…we live new lives! The power of the resurrection is part of our new lives. Paul says in Ephesians 1: 19b - 20 "…that power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…"(NIV). WOW! What an incredible promise we have as Christians. We have great power to live this life because of the resurrection! But how does it make a difference? How can one tap into this awesome power?

To really have the power of the resurrection, we must receive the power that Christ offers. One is not able to live in the power of the resurrection without believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must open our lives to him and receive his love and forgiveness.

Then, once we accept this incredible gift, we must start living as if we have the power of Christ in us. That means there may be habits that we need to break and new ones that we need to begin. Take for instance the discipline of reading the Bible on a daily basis. If we are going to enjoy the power of God in our daily lives, we must put ourselves in a position of hearing from God's word and we must be guided by the truth that is found there.

So what difference does it make? I can only answer that from my own personal experience. I have experienced the power of Christ in my life as He has directed me in my ministry path. There have been many times that God's direction was very clear to me and my response to Him was required and confirmed in many ways. I have experienced the presence and power of Christ in the hope that I have in the promise of eternal life. Because Christ lives, eternal life is available to all who believe in Him. In the death of loved ones, I have great comfort in the fact that Jesus offers eternal life to all. I have experienced God's compassion through the presence of Christ in my life, offering me strength to live in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances. Knowing that Christ is alive and at work in my life doesn't mean that all will be perfect for me. It doesn't mean that no bad things will come my way, but it does mean that when difficulty comes, we have one who can bring hope and comfort. Paul wrote, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4, NIV).

So take heart…don't lose hope…God has given us a new life in His son Jesus Christ. Without this hope we are lost when we have trouble in this world. With the power of Christ in us…we have new and abundant life! Live today in the reality of the resurrection!