Join the “Fellowship of the Unashamed”

Devotional

There is no natural explanation for the empty tomb of Christ.

The disciples could not have overpowered the Roman guards, nor could they have convinced more than five hundred eyewitnesses that a dead man was alive (1 Corinthians 15:6). And even if they somehow had, none would have died for a lie.

If the women went to the wrong tomb, the authorities would have corrected their error. If the authorities stole the body, they would have produced it. If Jesus did not die at the cross, that means he survived a spear thrust near his heart and three days in a mummified, air-tight burial shroud.

In his emaciated condition, he would have then had to shove aside the stone, appear through locked doors, and do the greatest high jump in history at the Ascension we see in Acts 1:9.

Easter is the foundation of the Christian faith. Because Jesus rose from the dead as he predicted, he must be divine. If he is divine, his words must be true. If he claimed to be our Savior and Lord, it must be so.

Now the risen king calls you and me to serve in his kingdom.

My favorite confession of faith was written in 1980 by an African Christian before he was martyred for his faith. I have quoted it often and am stirred each time by its words. Let’s celebrate the resurrection of Jesus today by making its commitment our own:

He said….

I am part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed.” The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until he comes. And when he comes to get his own, he will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.

So as we enter our guided prayer today, may the same be true of us.

Today’s devotional is written by Jim Denison