RESURRECTION DESTINY
Part two of fifteen devotions in Heaven Enchantment Series
1 Corinthians 15:1-22
1 Corinthians 15:16-17, 19-20: “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ
has not been raised either. And if
Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
…If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than
all men. But Christ has indeed been
raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” !!!
(Emphasis mine.)
Destiny
[DES-tin-ee] means purpose, one’s fate, one’s future. Jesus was born for the purpose to die as “the
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29).
As the “Alpha and Omega,” the beginning and the end, Jesus agreed to
this plan BEFORE the creation of the world. (Revelation 1:8).
Nothing
surprised Jesus. “Who, being in very
nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but
made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness. And being found in appearance
as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a
cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8).
It’s
no wonder that Jesus was “different” from other people!
By
age twelve, He understood that His Father was God in heaven. So, He remained in Jerusalem after the
Passover Feast to talk with teachers in the temple. Mary was frantic searching for Jesus, “Oh
no! I lost God’s Son!” Was this when Mary figured out that Jesus
knew His destiny? (Luke 2:41-49).
Jesus’
Spirit recognized that His destiny was death on a cross. BUT,
He also grasped that His destiny was being resurrected from the dead. Those two bookends supported every word Jesus
uttered. He must have enjoyed showing
off the Father’s person and power. The
miracles, how cool!
Jesus
obeyed the Father, fulfilling the law and every prophesy written about Him in
the Bible (Matthew 5:17, Mark 14:49).
But no person with whom Jesus interacted knew that His life was an “open
book” (the Bible.)
People
can’t use that excuse today. Believers learn
Biblical instruction how we are to think, talk and act. And yet,
is anyone righteous apart from Jesus?
Aren’t
we glad that we worship a God who’s different from everyone else?
Because
Jesus had resurrection destiny, His believers do, too.
Take Home Nugget
What’s
your purpose in life? Dying to self,
carrying our cross following Jesus and resurrection are believers’ destiny. Holding
firmly to that allows us to live in freedom and power. Praise God!
Will
people have bodies in the resurrection?
What kind of bodies? See lesson
linked below to learn more.
Any
life purpose other than living God’s will is idolatry.
J.D. Griffith
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