I thought I was going to be a lawyer when I grew up. I wanted to be a doctor for the longest time, but once I got to high school and realized science was not my strong suit, those dreams flew swiftly out the window. Being a lawyer was the next best option; I enjoyed reading and writing, and history was my best subject. And as my parents would tell you without hesitation, I could pick an argument with anyone over anything, and I usually won. I presented many cases to my parents over the years, from bedroom renovations to puppies and everything in between.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul was making a case for the resurrection of the dead. Paul accused some of the Corinthians of saying there was no resurrection of the dead; that is, once Christians die, they would not be raised with Christ. Paul then argued that if they believed in the resurrection of Christ, then they must also believe in the resurrection of the dead. The point of Paul’s argument was to prove that Christians will be raised in resurrection with Christ. This passage is one that is read often at funerals and memorial services of loved ones who have passed away. It’s comforting to think about the resurrection in the face of death. It grounds us, reminds us of who we are and where our true home lies. His argument forces the Corinthians to come to the realization that there is, in fact, hope for the future for those who believe in Christ.
Paul’s argument to the Corinthians is fit for a trial court. He was making them decide whether or not they actually believe what they say they do. Paul reminded the Corinthians that “Christ died for our sins…that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:3–4). Paul challenged the Corinthian church to remember what they said they believed, because if those things are not true, then all of their proclamations were in vain.
Today, let this passage remind you of the power and might of a God who sent His Son to die for us and raised Him on the third day so that we, too, might live with Him in eternal resurrection. We should put our faith and our hope in this God, the God who “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens” (Ephesians 2:6). Our citizenship does not belong here on earth but to the new heavens and new earth that come with the resurrection. Thanks be to God.
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62 thoughts on "Essential Resurrection"
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God help me to see and respond to the lost and hurting people around me.
I believe in heaven and that Jesus was raised on the third day, but do I always live like I do? I really want to live like this life isn’t all there is, that I have been made for a perfect place that I can’t even imagine. I also want to live like hell is real and witness to those around desperately.
The resurrection and our future life in Heaven has become so important to me the older I get. And it is why I pray so fervently for my loved ones who have turned their backs on Christ. If I truly believe that this life will end, and if you do not have a relationship with Jesus and believe in Him, then you will not enter heaven, well then, I better live like it! I feel like the more I really grasp onto that realization, and the shorter my earthly life becomes, the more pressing it becomes to tell others about Jesus. I don’t want people to perish, right? Then what am I afraid of? If this truly is the best news I have ever heard, then why am I keeping it to myself?
RIGHT?!! Amen!! I can’t believe I waited this long in my life to finally get out there in all the ways I can to share Jesus with people, and to pray with them! It is such a broken world, with hurting people, and even “Christians” are so Luke warm with Jesus!! I AM on FIRE for Jesus…so that none should perish!!
I watched a video of a guy preaching “Twenty three minutes in Hell” (I think) and yeah,,,,he got to see a glimpse of Hell, and wants people to know just how horrible it will be. I was amazed at all the scripture he quoted throughout the Bible on hell! It scared me enough for the unsaved…AND it made me all the more grateful that I know where I will be. There needs to be more urgency IMHO!
Hello Shes
I enjoy the passion of Paul in what I call his double-take on apostleship.
First, my paraphrase, “I came along late, and did not walk & talk with Him. And as a matter of fact, I did terrible things to the church…”
Second, again, my paraphrase, “But when He knocked me off my ass, I was saved by Grace, and have worked harder than any of the rest”!
That’s my Paul.
Unflinching & Unrelenting.
Intense & Always on Task.
Especially So the Essentials.
Perfectly paraphrased! This is why I love Paul too. He does not mince words!
Yes! Go Paul!! I want to be a Paul…and a Bonhoeffer (just finished that book!) Living like I LOVE Jesus!! Unflinching and Unrelenting, Intense and always on task!! Love that!
WE are citizens of HEAVEN dear She’s! While on this earth there is so much talk about citizenship, borders, etc… And though there should be some order, ONE day this is NOT going to matter. WHAT matters is that those of us who name the name of Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we look forward to our Heavenly HOME! Our REAL HOME!!! Can’t wait! Happy FRIDAY sweet She’s!! Long week of VBS and I was exhausted, but still managed to wake up early to beat yet another VERY hot day and go running. Got started around 6:15 am, and thought I would be back within the hour, BUT ran into SO many of my trail peeps that I had to stop to say hello! I think its SO sweet of them to wonder if I was OK since most of them haven’t seen me in a while!
Yes, Amen Mari!
I am so very thankful for a new heaven and new earth. I cannot imagine losing my child without knowing where he is. That life didn’t just stop for him. That it won’t for us either. That we will sit with our Father! Amen!
It truly does make the sorrow we feel here on Earth somewhat bearable. I don’t know what it will be like in Heaven, but I’m banking on seeing my loved ones again and having a joyful reunion!
I enjoy reading the text given and then reading from my “The Message” bible by Eugene Peterson. Wanted to share some text that I pulled out of today’s reading: 1 Corinthians 15 rephrased—“Because God was so gracious and so very generous, I am what I am.” “It was God giving me the work to do, and God giving me the energy to do it.”
LOVE. that… ♥️ All empowering and equipping will always come from him – and will in turn glorify him. So perfect…
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With so many disappointments and hardships and grief and pain and suffering in this life, I am so thankful we have something to look forward to!!! If it weren’t for eternal life with Jesus, in all the glory He is preparing for us, what would be the point of all this? I really feel sorry for those who don’t understand that this life here is NOT ALL THERE IS! No matter what we are going through here on earth, we will have a life so much greater than we could ever imagine when we finally get to heaven.
Kris my son used to say to me how he felt bad for those that did not know Christ. I don’t know how I would have gotten through all I have without God in my life.
RIGHT?! I know it has been said on here in the past, but definitely deserves repeating: This earth is the closest to hell any Christian will ever know, and it is the closest to heaven any non-Christian will know. And how awful is that?! THIS BROKEN-DOWN, SIN-FILLED, ACHING PLANET IS THE CLOSEST TO HEAVEN?! No. Not what I signed up for. Im’ma need my royal inheritance, thank you. ;) ;)
What I love about everyone’s comments is how we read the same scripture but it speaks to each one of us differently. The truth is still the same but it hits us where we need it!
Jesus tasted death for all of us and this was by the grace of God! I certainly don’t deserve this but how so like God to reach out to the undeserving sinners with this costly gift! May I never lose the wonder of God’s love for us!
I am new to this group and feel so blessed to have found it through a recommendation at Barnes and Noble. Have a blessed day everyone.
Welcome, Lee Ann :) :) I’m so curious – how were you recommended to SRT at Barnes and Noble?? :)
Welcome Lee Ann! Barnes and Noble?? Wow that is awesome.
Welcome Lee Ann!! And yes, I too am curious how you heard about SRT at Barnes and Noble.
Hello Lee Ann
A Warm Welcome…weather wise & all!
Yes, Barnes & Noble!
A friend of mine found a beautiful – pink color edition – She Reads Truth CSB Bible on the shelves there!
You will find lots of prayer warriors here. You can always play catch up on Saturdays (tomorrow).
Hi Lee Ann!!
Welcome, Lee Ann! ❤️
Oh my, such good insights from several of you. Thankful to have such clarity over the Scripture.
Praying for so many of you this morning:
Marina, CD’s neighbors, Liam, Melissa, Adrienne, Kaitlyn Ashley (I know you didn’t ask buy still praying)
Steve and I went to a wedding last night…first time many of those friends had seen Steve since his Vasculitis attacked. Everyone was amazed at how good he looks, walking with a cane. It was eye opening to me because I just see day-to-day stuff and hadn’t compared lately to where we were 6 months ago! God has really been good to us. Yes, there’s a long way left to go but we’ve gone a long way already.
Praying for my other caregiver friends on here ❤️
Hugs to all and Happy Friday
So glad you could enjoy yourself with Steve at this wedding!!
One thing that stood out to me in Ellen Taylor’s writing today, was “might live with Him”. As I looked up may and might in English grammar I worried. That might not be the right word, but it left my heart heavy. I do believe one day I will see Him and my loved ones but something just felt off. My mind is all over the place lately. Sorry. Prayers lifted for the many needs.
John 14:3 -And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 -Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Romans 6:3-5 -Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Colossians 3:2-4 -Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
That’s just a few to hopefully rest your mind… I agree, maybe “might’ isn’t the best word to use. You God has not done all he has done for you to just leave you alone. He’s done everything that we may all spend eternity in glory together :) If this current life is just a vapor, we have nothing but unimaginable beauty and life to look forward to! :)
Thank you Heidi ❤️
Here we find another area of disunity addressed by Paul: the resurrection of believers of the gospel. It was helpful for me to go back and re-read the Plan Summary for this study. It says,
“When the apostle Paul wrote 1 & 2 Corinthians, the early Christians in Corinth were struggling to grow together as a group of believers. They came from vastly different backgrounds—Jewish and Greek, rich and poor, religious and nonreligious—and would need to learn to live as a unified gospel community. In these two letters, Paul challenges the Corinthians to fight for unity, relying on the hope of the gospel and their strength in Christ to come together as a church. …”
We have learned this week that some of the believers were greatly confused because of some former pagan rituals, etc., and Paul certainly had his hands full!!! I think this quote by Wiersbe is perfect to sum up this week:
“The gospel is the most important message that the church ever proclaims. While it is good to be involved in social action and the betterment of mankind, there is no reason why these ministries should preempt the gospel.”
MARINA, prayers for your mom’s surgery, for the staff, and for you and your family as you wait for results. Praying for no surprises (of the bad kind!) and a smooth recovery. She may need to be cautioned about trying to do too much too soon. ❤ She is blessed to have you!
CD, praying for that precious family and that you get a personal ministry opportunity! ❤
KELLY NEO – praying for Liam/family! ❤
MELISSA – Praying for your family! ❤
COLLEEN DEVEAU – praying for your family and for your health. ❤
LINDA IN NC, LYNNE FROM ALABAMA, GRAMIESUE, SHARON, (and all 24/7 caregivers) – praying for strength, endurance, patience, and moments of peace and restoration. Hugs! ❤
amen! The gospel is our greatest message to pronounce to the world!! Nothing should take the place of importance before that! Then IT becomes an idol! I just watched a YouTube video called “23 minutes in Hell” from a guys experience…it was a profound message. We all have the choice..will we chose Jesus, and will we share that with everybody!!?? It is vital to share, and let the Holy Spirit go from there!
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We lost our son at 38 weeks two years ago and this truth was the one thing that kept us going. The peace we had passed all understanding and continues to be our strength daily. So so thankful for Yeshua’s sacrifice.
Ah, I’m so, so sorry… I hope you have had support and felt God’s nearness. Close friends lost their son at 4 months, never even got to take him home from the NICU. They are not Christians. It has been 14 years and they have never found any kind of healing from any part of it and it’s heartbreaking. It reminds me that the hope we have offered from our God is so much more necessary than I think we actively remember sometimes. Because when you see someone grieving with no hope – I mean wow. You see the true meaning of “the wages of sin is death”. That’s all my friend and her husband have access to in all of this loss- the death. Still praying their eyes are someday opened to the God who wants to make all things new for them.
Yes, thanks be to God!! We are not home yet but we will be soon with our Father, our Savior and the Spirit! So grateful for this truth!!!
“But by the grace of God I am what I am.” What am I?…I am forgiven, I am sanctified, I am redeemed, I am a child of the Most High God, I am a daughter of the King – which makes me a princess, I am free indeed!…and that’s just the beginning of all the blessings of what I am in Christ!
Praying for your mom’s surgery @ Marina; @CD – praying for your neighbor who lost their son, I can’t even imagine! @Kelly Neo, praying for Liam; @Melissa – praying for your anxiety to cease! @Traci Gendron – prayers that you will find relief from your back & neck pain; @Colleen Deveau – praying for peace in your family & relief from your pain.
Have a blessed Friday ladies!
Sharon, it’s good to ‘see’ you! Agreeing in your prayers and also praying for you and Jeff! ❤
MARINA praying for your mom’s surgery this morning.
Verse 17 of the Corinthians passage… yessss… aren’t we glad that He was raised from the dead? (This was yesterday’s VBS message… thanks be to God!) Today is the last day of VBS… thanks be to God for that too! It is very fun, but very tiring!
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And speaking of tired… Tomorrow is my appointment with the neurologist. Yes, a Saturday clinic…. So weird! Anyhoo, please pray that I get some answers (after my normal MRI). Thanks, sweet sisters. I am so tired of all the issues I am having… and am just tired PERIOD (and not just from VBS!) My BODY feels fine…. I don’t feel sick, in other words.
Prayers for tomorrow’s appointment!❤️
Praying you get some answers at this appointment! Not knowing is draining for sure! Hugs! ❤ Psalm 16:8
Praise God for the hope we have in Christ’s resurrection. Prayers sent to the throne for Liam and neighbor.
Ok. A moment here for Paul. I may be one of the few women who hangs on Paul’s every word. When I was a freshmen in college, I was very much a feminist, and I took a class called Paul and the Corinthians. The subtitle of the book was unity for the body of Christ. What I learned was that Jesus, and then the apostles had brought some radical people to the table, people that historically were not allowed, including women. And now this letter was calling for that table to be unified bc things had gotten chaotic. I’ll admit, even though I am very goal oriented, I never wanted to be head of the table, just to have a seat. The problem I see is that our culture has told us that it’s not enough to have a seat at the table, but that we must replace others who historically had the seats instead of work with them. Today, I imagined the og women listening to this letter who were so offended by chapter 14, that they missed chapter 15. I mean. There is some earth shattering truths in today’s reading! And Paul says I am the least of the apostles. And so I have to circle back to the idea of women being the “lesser” in the hierarchal structure, and I praise God for this position because we know in Jesus kingdom the least is the greatest! Paul says the lesser parts have more honor! And then you see that Paul himself boast in being the weakest. Anyways, my hope is that we (women) don’t miss the Forrest for the trees.
Thank you Lanie! Good insights and information that may have been overlooked.
I agree with Sharon! Amen!
LOVEIT-LOVEIT-LOVE!IT! :)
Woah, spot on, Lanie. I agree, some readers would get so offended by the previous chapters that they would skip over this one. And this one is GOLD!
Well said!
Amen
Amen
He is risen, indeed!
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MARINA S. – praying all goes smoothly with your mom’s surgery today. Peace as you all wait for the results.
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CD – praying for your neighbors and the tragic loss of their child. May you be a vessel of God’s love and grace to them in their grief.
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REQUEST: please pray for a friend’s newborn, Liam. He is in the NICU. Medical team thinks he is having seizures. THANKS.
Praying for Liam ❤️
Will do, Kelly! Can’t imagine!
Oh, Kelly! Praying for baby Liam and his family (and for the medical team as they seek answers)! ❤
Praying
Praise God, the Father today for His power and might, for His love and mercy that offers us forgiveness of sin and defeated death and the grave!
Amen
I am so grateful today for the New Heaven and New Earth that we will some day have the pleasure of enjoying, with Jesus right in our midst!
Have a blessed Friday, dear Sisters.