For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 1 Corinthians 15:17-20
Paul closes his letter to the Corinthian believers with a reminder about the importance of the resurrection and its centrality to the message of Christ and every Christian. If the resurrection of Jesus isn’t true, we are all damned, doomed and should have lived this life 100% for ourselves. Stated another way, CS Lewis said ‘if Christianity is untrue it is of little importance, but if true is of utmost importance’. Paul knew the resurrection was true and gave the eyewitness testimony to its validity.
How is my life different because of the resurrection of Jesus? Am I anticipating my own resurrection?
God, on this mother’s day, I want to thank you for my mom. I was able to see Christlike characteristics before I ever met Christ, because my mom demonstrated generosity, servanthood, truth, and sacrificial love. May she be celebrated today in a way she knows that she is appreciated. I hope Maureen is appreciated by the kids today as well.
