Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
–John 11:25-26 (NLT)

One Easter Sunday, I went to church and dinner with some friends of mine. Although my time with them was lovely, I wanted to walk out of the “church service” that occurred before dinner. But since I am blind, I was pretty much held captive.

At one point in the sermon, the minister said something I thought was pretty shocking. “Did Christ really rise?” he asked. “Does it really matter?” I wanted to shout, “Yes, it certainly does!” For the apostle Paul says that without the resurrection, our faith is only an empty fable.

I have looked into the truths of the resurrection, and I have found that it takes more faith not to believe than it does to believe. Because of what Christ has done in my life, I would like to share with you briefly why I embrace this truth.

According to the biblical record, Christ appeared 17 times after his resurrection, and there are many other infallible proofs that you can study on your own. But in this brief devotional message, I will only concentrate on one that stands out to me. Namely, it’s the phenomenon of changed lives.

If you only read the gospels superficially, you will see this quite clearly. After Jesus’ death, the disciples hid behind locked doors and quaking with fear. But once Christ rose, these same people became men and women of courage, willing to die for their beliefs.

In order to see one example of this, just look with me at the life of Peter. You will see that when Christ was on trial, Peter denied that he ever knew Him. But after going to the empty tomb, Peter was a different man altogether. The same person who was discouraged and had gone back to his fishing business when he thought all was lost, discovered the truth and spoke in front of thousands of people a few weeks later.

Now I have two questions for you, my friend: Do you feel hopeless like Peter did? And are you asking what this has to do with you? If so, I would be more than happy to tell you. Because Christ died and rose again, you don’t have to stay behind the locked doors of fear any longer, for the Bible says that the fear of man is a snare. You can step out with a new confidence and boldness, because you know that God showed His love for you in an exciting way. Once you truly realize what Christ did for you on that first Easter morning, your life will never be the same.

Now I don’t mean to paint a rosy picture, for this world is filled with troubles. You will still have to pay bills and save money for rent. But Jesus said that He overcame this world and all of its troubles. Because He validated His words when He rose, you can know that He has everything under control. There has been no other teacher who could fulfill the claims which Christ made, and that is because the resurrection proves He was not just another teacher. He was exactly who He said He was.

If you have never given your heart to Jesus, just pray after me: “Dear Lord, I know that I have sinned, but I want for you to come into my heart. So please forgive, making me a new person.” There is nothing matical about this prayer, but Paul said that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and you believe that God has raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved.

If you have given your life to Christ, but you have wandered away, you can come back to Him today because of the resurrection. Many people walk around with a load of guilt over mistakes that they have made, but we have all made mistakes, and in Christ we can rise above these as well.

Thank you for reading this, and may the Lord give you a wonderful week! We are trying to reach people who are hurting, so if God lays it on your heart, please consider becoming a partner with us. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.hcmachaplains.org and click on the Donate Now link. You can also send donations by mail to HCMA (Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association). Our ID number is 560. The address is 377 E. Chapman Ave., Suite 260, Placentia, CA 92870. Finally, check out our online store at www.amway.com/burdicksbargains. In order to support us, please register for free on our store website before purchasing anything. Thank you!

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