Daily Devotional for March 31, 2010

March 31 ~ 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is: Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say. He was buried, and three days later he was raised to life, as the Scriptures say. Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

The burden of proof is often a deciding factor in countless life situations, from court cases to new inventions to medical research. Everyone wants proof before they will believe something. If you weren’t drinking and driving, take a breathalyzer test and prove it in court. If this new vacuum cleaner really does pick up more than its competitor, show me in a side-by-side comparison. If this new drug really does cure cancer, I want to see results and case studies that confirm this! If Jesus really rose from the grave… I want to hear this news from people who were there!

Ah… there’s the rub… we really can’t talk to anyone who was actually there. We have to rely on the reports of Paul, the Apostles, the Disciples, and over five hundred other people who saw Jesus after the crucifixion and burial. Is that enough proof? Can we take the word of these people? Some would argue that we cannot trust these accounts. We believe the words of some people we never met who claim they were there and saw this. Don’t we demand more proof than that for even simple things, like showing ID at the grocery store?

The fact is that we are very much operating in faith that this happened. We are trusting Paul and others to tell us honestly what they saw and heard. Why would we trust them? We are such skeptical people by nature. Why do we believe this? We believe because the evidence really is overwhelming. Think about it. The story has not changed in almost 2000 years. Geologists and historians have been able to document many of the events and evidence surrounding the crucifixion. But more than this, we have learned from experience that God’s word is infallible. If we have been paying attention, we have seen that His promises play out in our own lives in so many ways every single day. If you have cultivated a relationship with God and His Holy Spirit, you already feel differently on the inside. You know that you know that you know that this is real… and that Paul’s account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is 100% accurate.

There will be some who will not believe. There will be some who are skeptical and say that they cannot accept all of this as anything but a colorful story … the proof is just not compelling enough. But I am not among them. The proof is more than compelling to me. As we approach Easter weekend, and I think about the events of that few days, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that every second of it happened just as written. I am humbled and heartsick as I think about Jesus agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prayed for God to find another way, if possible. I am physically sick as I consider the torture and crucifixion… imagine each spike being driven into Christ’s hands and feet. I am incredibly numb and grief stricken as I imagine the rumble of thunder, the dark skies, and the earth trembling after Jesus says, “It is finished.” I am overcome with joy and elation to realize on the third day that the grave was empty, and Jesus overcame death! I KNOW that He now sits in heaven at the right hand of God, and He talks to God about ME every single day!

More than that, I know that Jesus talks to God about YOU each day, also. He loves us so much that, in His mind, everything that happened was worth the price. Whatever you are going through today, know this… you can handle it because of Jesus. You can get through this and “rise again” in Him. Just as God raised Jesus from the grave, He will raise you from whatever is challenging you today. We are not alone… we have a Saviour! The proof is overwhelming… can you see Him?

©2010 Debbie Robus