LOOKING IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

BIBLE PASSAGE:
He is not here; He has risen! Remember how
He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee.
(Luke 24:6)

MEDITATION:
You wouldn’t go to a grocery store and look for vegetables in the
meat section. Nor would you go to a Ford dealership looking for
Volkswagens. It doesn’t make sense to look for things in all the
wrong places, does it? However, we see in God’s Word that some
women looked for someone (Jesus) in the wrong place.

After Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb, some women took
some spices to tend to His body. Sounds like a good idea except for
one thing – they were looking for someone who was no longer dead
but had risen and was living again.
    On the first day of the week, very early in the morning,
    the women took the spices they had prepared and went
    to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the
    tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body
    of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this,
    suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning
    stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down
    with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them,
    “Why do you look for the living among the dead?
    (Luke 24:1-5)

What? But didn’t He die on the cross? Wasn’t He placed in a
tomb for the dead? Yes, of course He died, but God resurrected
Him, and He is now living again, in heaven. If He had not been
resurrected, then the Christian faith would be null and void. The
resurrection of Jesus is one of the fundamental beliefs of Christians.

Christianity is different from all the other religions of the world.
It includes redemption because of the death of our Savior on the
cross for our sins. We have a Savior who died for us! But faith
also includes the truth that Jesus was resurrected by God the
Father. The Christian faith is the only one where its leader died
for us, was resurrected by God, and is alive today.

There are religions that worship someone who is still living,
but they are only human and have never been divine. There
are religions who worship someone who has died but nobody
can communicate with that person today. They have created
man-made statues of them to worship and bow to. Why would
they do that? Because that gives them an image they feel they
can communicate with.

However, Christianity has a Lord and Savior who believers
can communicate with daily Christians can also communicate
with God the Father. Only Christianity worships the God of the
universe. He is the One who created the people who claim to be
a god or messiah, so that means He is supreme and above others.

Couldn’t we say that Jesus was created the same as those claiming
to be a messiah? No, we cannot, because Jesus is part of the Trinity
(God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) and He has
existed from the beginning of time.

Jesus was here before any of the others claiming to be a god were
even born. He was also here when the false gods were living on the
earth. And He is still here today, after those who claimed to be a
messiah have died.

There are many who follow a person who has died but has not been
resurrected. Some follow a person who has not died but has ‘duped’
some people into believing that he is a type of god, or messiah. With
Christianity, there are no shrines to be visited, no dusty remains to
idolize, and no tombs or manmade images to be worshipped.

Jesus Christ lived from the beginning of time, walked on earth as
a man, is living today, and will live forever. Many good men have
lived, and still live in the memory of those who knew them, but
there is only one who conquered death and was resurrected and
sitting beside our Creator today – Jesus Christ.

ACTION:
Some questions to consider:
    – Are you looking for hope in all the wrong places?
    – Have you discovered the One still living, who died for your sins?
    – Have you been looking for Jesus to blend in with your lifestyle,
       or have you been looking for Him to transform you into a person
       of righteousness, so you will become who He wants you to be?
    – Do you believe that Jesus has been resurrected and is now with
       God the Father?
    – Have you expressed your belief, faith and trust in Him?
    – Does God call you a child of His
       because you have surrendered your life to Him?

When we receive God’s salvation because we expressed our
belief in Jesus and our desire to become more like Him, God
also gives us two ‘valuables’ for our new journey as followers
of Jesus.

He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us navigate the world we live
in as followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit encourages and guides
us in changing our lifestyle (thoughts, desires, words, actions,
focus, etc.) to conform to His definition of righteousness.

God also gives us at least one spiritual gift that not only helps
us transition into the new person God wants us to be, but it
also is what He wants us to actively serve Him and participate
in the work He is doing on earth.

If we never seek and find the spiritual gift He has given us,
or if we discover our gift, but fail to use it as God intended,
then our new life as a Christian will miss out on some of the
tremendous blessings He has for us, and we have not fully
surrendered to His will for our lives.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that explains
everything I need to know about Jesus and what He did for
me. Knowing that He has existed from the beginning of time
and that He has been resurrected, assures me that He is the
only One I confidently claim as my Savior and Lord. There is
no other God but You, and no other Messiah but Jesus. My
desire is to give You control of my life, and to allow You to
transform me, so I can please You in all I say and do. I am
asking You to forgive me for allowing any selfishness to be
an obstacle that prevents me from having a close fellowship
with You. Teach me to allow Your ways to have priority over
my ways. Help me to anticipate and embrace how You will
transform me to be more righteous through Your process
of sanctification!”

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