Compelled by the Risen Jesus
April 7th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens
Yesterday we asked the question, “what difference does the resurrection make?”
Seeing the risen Jesus transformed His followers. It changed them from a beleaguered band, hiding and locked away in an upstairs room, afraid for their lives into a courageous group willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel. It changed Paul from a murderous, self-righteous legalist into a man who contended valiantly for the faith he had worked so hard to extinguish.
If we internalize the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, it will change us.
It is the resurrection that makes following Jesus more than my religion of choice – His empty tomb means it is irrefutable truth.
The resurrection, if we really grasp what that means, will compel us.
- It will compel us to share the Truth, as it did Jesus’ disciples – what have we to lose? Even in the face of threats, man can kill the body, but my Jesus holds the keys to death and promises new life!
- It will compel us to live courageously in the face of suffering, loss, grief of all kinds – because we know that in the end, the ultimate battle has already been won!
- It will compel us to long for His return – His resurrection guarantees that He can and will return to claim what is rightfully His.
The resurrection erases all doubt from my mind – if Jesus is really alive, if that tomb is empty, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! He is everything He claimed to be! Even when the world calls me narrow-minded, or claims that I depend on my Jesus as a psychological crutch, or calls out to me that I am naive… my only response can be, “to whom else would I go? He has the words of eternal life!” (John 6:68)
The resurrection compels me. It requires that I make a choice – if I believe it really is so, my life has to line up.
How has the resurrection compelled you? Does your life testify to the fact that you have cast your whole self on the reality of the risen Jesus?
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- 7 Comments »
- Posted in Easter, Resurrection
April 7th, 2010 at 9:39 am
May His love and His resurrection continually compel us! Thank you for this reminder… how quickly we celebrate His resurrection and then go on about “our” lives, forgetting that we need to be about His Life! Thank you! ♥ Michelle
SomeGirl´s last blog ..Where There Are No Oxen
April 7th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
I agree with Michelle. It seems as if Easter passes and all we really have to show for it is egg salad sandwiches for the next week. What do we do with what we know to be true, what we have just relived for the past week? How can we dismiss the sacrifice and resurrection and our guarantee of ETERNAL LIFE with Christ? I do. Every year. This year I decided to actually reread the account of the last week over again now that things have settled. To really see it as a whole story, not pieces of passages. And to “post-game” with my family. Look back now that it is calm and my kids are out of school. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Lori Zimbardi´s last blog ..I Thought I Had a Picture of The Last Time I Saw Her
April 7th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
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April 7th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Thank you — my heart is beating hard right beside yours…
He. Is. Risen.
My blood courses hard!
April 7th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Love this, girl! We have some Treasure, don’t we? What other name under heaven can give us what our Jesus does? Not one.
Have a great evening!
Kristen@Moms Sharpening Moms´s last blog ..Thicker than Blood
April 20th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
[...] We looked at how it should compel us. [...]
May 13th, 2010 at 6:07 am
[...] the “Easter people” – I love that concept. As we discussed earlier this spring, the reality of Jesus’ resurrection should compel us. It should change us. Those of us who follow Jesus should be deeply marked, every hour of every [...]