I Pity the Fool

This weekend is a time in our calendar when we focus on the death,burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Christian calendar we celebrate not simply the life and death of Christ but most importantly we celebrate the resurrection! Take a few moments to contemplate these words of the Apostle Paul in his words from 1 Corinthians 15:

¹²But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. ²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²²For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

There was one time in my life in particular when these words struck a chord with me like never before and possibly ever since. I was 19 years old and I just lost a good friend tragically in a car accident. This young woman was a saint in my eyes and I was devestated that God would take her away when her life had so much to offer the world. She was one of these people who lived a holy life without condeming anyone else. You felt like you've been closer to God after you've been around her. I was crushed. I remember shutting the world down and searching scripture. I remember when I came across this passage about the resurrection. It was in that moment that I learned of the power of the resurrection. It was because of the resurrection of Christ that my friend has life today. It was also the power of the resurrection of Christ that you and I have meaning in life.

As Paul said so clearly "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." Paul reminds us that the resurrection is why we worship because we don't just 'do church' to be nicer people on this planet or to help us control our morals. We worship the RISEN Jesus Christ because HE brings life.

Start today and determine above any other time in your life to FOCUS on the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ. That's what LIFE is about. Everything else is a side issue to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus' life, death and RESURRECTION we would need to be pitied above all men because we would have a futile hope.

As we celebrate Jesus rising from the grave please also redouble your personal desire to see people come to know Jesus Christ as Savior. True life is not lived apart from Jesus. Every person you encounter is made in the image of God and deserves to know that the God of all creation not only knows them but loves them and desires their company forever. None of us are alone, none of us are abandoned and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ BECAUSE of the RESURRECTION. Celebrate with boldness, confidence and passion this weekend.