Devotion: Are You Ready for a Resurrection in Your Life?

“Sometimes we ask God for healing when He wants to give us a resurrection.” ~Unknown

Today is Holy Saturday. We are between two of the most pivotal days in the Christian faith—Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Good Friday reminded us how Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for all our sins, and how through his innocent blood shed on the cross, we have been given the undeserved gift of God’s unconditional love and grace. Easter Sunday reminds us of the mighty power of our God and how he conquers death to give us each a chance at eternal life with him. Today is a day of reflection about what these monumental moments mean to our daily lives.

I have wrestled with this reflection. In my mind resurrection is sacred and held for only one—Jesus. However, Jesus came to be our living example in all things and there is wisdom and knowledge to be found in his life, his death, and his resurrection.

The dictionary definition of resurrection is this: the act of causing something that had ended or been forgotten or lost to exist again, to be used again, etc.

As I read this definition, I keep thinking about a butterfly. In order for a butterfly to exist, a caterpillar’s life must end. The caterpillar is literally broken down to almost nothing so it can be transformed into a whole new being. No matter how badly that caterpillar wants to stay a caterpillar, it cannot deny that it was created for more.

We are also created for more, but just like the caterpillar, our transformation comes with pain and change. Jesus knew this all too well. His death was excruciating. He cried out and asked the Lord, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42), because he knew what was coming. Our Savior fully understood pain, but he also knew that our redemption was fully rooted in his resurrection.

Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are all transformed into new creations, but we ought to remember that something must always end to let the new come forth. Resurrection isn’t easy, but it is a glorious gift we must embrace if we want to become all God created us to be.

Jesus had to be resurrected so we could all receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

How many times do we beg God for healing, only to have our prayers go unanswered? Whether it is the healing of our hearts, the healing of our bodies, or the healing of our relationships, we all long for healing.

What does it mean if God doesn’t answer our prayers for healing? Does it mean he doesn’t care? Or could it mean that he cares about us so deeply that he is unwilling to give us healing because we need a resurrection in our lives?

I have come to realize resurrection is sacred and purposeful, but it isn’t only for Jesus. And when I only ask for healing, I am limiting how God could truly transform my entire life.

God always has holy and perfect reasons if he is choosing a resurrection over healing in your life. Rest assured that there is a divine purpose. Just as he does with the caterpillar and the butterfly, God has a way of taking one ending and turning it into a glorious new beginning.

Lord, I thank you for the undeserved gift of your Son and his sacrifice for our sins. I ask that you remindall of us the true importance of Easter, and show us how Jesus’ resurrection births hope into how you can transform and resurrect our daily lives. Amen.

Scriptures for Reflection

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:10-11 NIV)

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25 NKJV)

“But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!” (Rom. 8:9-11 MSG)

 

Reach for More

This week’s challenge is to ask ourselves a really big question: If Jesus had not been willing to die and be resurrected, how would our lives look different? Think about the story of the caterpillar and butterfly. Remember—resurrection isn’t easy, but it is a glorious gift we must embrace if we want to become all God created us to be.

Dear friends, we can do this. Be courageous, and let’s be brave enough to thank God for loving us so deeply that he is willing to give us a resurrection when we only ask for healing.

Please, come back and leave a comment telling us about how God spoke to you this week, or share your progress on social media using the hashtag #tgtreachformore. We would love to hear from you.

 

Sarah Lundgren has a passion for all things sparkly, loves God with her whole heart, and is known to love Starbucks chai lattes a whole lot, too. Sarah is currently snuggled in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan with her sweet hubby, J, and her full-time job is making pretty things all day long for her Etsy business, so sarah designs, but she also loves writing devotional content here at The Glorious Table.