4 Everyday Resurrection Realities

The other day my daughter and I walked into Target to grab a few items, when she turned my attention to something that surprised her. “Look, mommy!” she exclaimed. “Easter just ended and there’s already stuff out for the 4th of July!” I had to laugh. With every passing year, it seems that stores are pushing the next big holiday earlier and earlier. One day you can buy all the essentials you need to craft your kid’s Easter basket, and the next, those items have been ushered away to the clearance aisle. 

Yet, it’s not just retailers who do this. If we’re completely honest with ourselves, I think we can admit that we all look forward to, hype up, and get excited about, the next big holiday, event, or thing on the calendar. However,  the moment it has passed, our focus quickly flits ahead to the next big thing. ​

Especially since we just celebrated Resurrection Sunday, this got me thinking — am I still delighting in Christ’s resurrection? Am I meditating on what His resurrection means for me in my day-to-day life? Or have I moved on to the “next thing”?

This last week I’ve been challenging myself to consider the realities of the resurrection in my life. Christ’s victory over death is not just a one-time event to be observed once a year. It is something that impacts my life as a believer every day. Christ’s death and resurrection aren’t just about me going to Heaven one day after I die. There is so much more to it than our eternal destination!

Yes, we have much hope for the future, but there are present joys that we can experience here and now! We ought to give great consideration to those realities and rehearse them in our hearts on a daily basis. With that focus in mind, let me share with you four encouraging truths that God has impressed on me about how the resurrection impacts my life right now—today. ​

1. Christ’s resurrection frees us from the power of sin.

Before we were redeemed through Christ’s death and resurrection, not only did we have no hope for our eternal future but we lacked any hope to be anything other than wretched sinners. We were slaves to sin. Sin was our master. We could not resist sin or conquer it. But because of Christ's resurrection work, we now have hope! 

In Romans 6:4, Paul explains that “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” He goes on to say that when Christ died, He also put our old sinful self to death. When He rose from the dead, our new man was born! He did this “so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin” (vv. 6-7).

We don’t answer to our old master anymore. We don’t have to do his bidding. We can have victory over the sins that beset us and seek to plague us. Sin no longer has power over us! Whatever sin you may be struggling with today, remember to whom you belong! If you have been raised with Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit is yours to resist sin and put it to death!

2. Christ’s resurrection provides us with a model of obedience and humility.

I recently found myself in a disagreement with my husband. While I tried to tell myself that all I wanted was for my opinions and thoughts to be heard, what I truly desired at that moment was to be right. My pride and self wanted to win. It took time and prodding from the Lord to remind me that my heart needed to be humbled. I also need to trust that as I love and honor my husband as God calls me to do, I will always have the security of His faithful love and protection.

Christ’s earthly ministry and sacrificial death is a perfect example of this for us to follow. Christ laid aside His rights and put on the lowly, humble human form. He walked this earth for 33 years and was subject to all the difficulties, hardships, and temptations like us. He was misunderstood, mischaracterized, mistreated, and more. But, He remained humble and obedient to the mission the Father had given Him. Only once do we ever see Him acknowledge that He had any apprehension about being the sacrifice for our sins. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays to the Father and asks, “‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me.’” But in His next breath, He submits to the Father, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Jesus obeyed His Father to the uttermost, through the deepest of pain. And in His resurrection, we see the faithfulness of the Father. Because of this example, we can be certain that as we likewise humble our hearts, trust, and obey, God is faithful to uphold us. This is not our natural posture. We are prone to be defensive, assertive, and prideful. But Christ shows us a better way — the better way. He calls us to follow after Him!

3. Christ’s resurrection gives us the power both to forgive and be forgiven.

Have you had to ask for forgiveness from someone lately? It is never a pleasant experience. As the offender, we greatly desire grace. However, when we are the ones offended, our perspective becomes very different. We can be tempted to hold onto the hurt and refuse to show grace. We may even say the words, “I forgive you,” but our hearts are far from gracious. 

But when we look at Christ and His resurrection, we see that there is never a time that we cannot be forgiven, and there is never a time where we cannot forgive. We can always be forgiven because Christ’s death and resurrection redeemed us and canceled our sin debt. While the people we will yet sin against may not extend forgiveness to us, Christ has. If you find yourself in a situation with someone who is yet unwilling to accept your admission of sin and plea for reconciliation, be encouraged. God has forgiven you your overwhelming sin debt — which includes all sins you have done and will do. Do your best to make amends and then entrust the situation to the One who has erased your sin and given you His righteousness.
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If you find yourself wrestling with bitterness and nursing feelings of hurt because of wrongs done to you, forgive. Forgive like Christ forgave you. He forgave you before you showed any sign of repentance. He forgave you knowing you would sin against Him yet again. Your sin debt against Him was far greater than anything that could be done to you. When we consider how much we’ve been forgiven, we will always have grace for others; when we are blind to our sins, we will always sit in judgment rather than forgiveness. Because God forgave us, we have no reason to withhold forgiveness from others. ​

4. Christ’s resurrection means God always keeps His promises.

This has been one of the most meaningful truths I’ve pondered over this last week. Throughout all of Scripture, we can see that God is the great promise keeper. God was faithful in His promises to Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and His people Israel. But the resurrection of Jesus is the exclamation point on all of God’s promises. All the way back in Genesis 3:15, God promised a Savior would come. He would overthrow the power of sin and crush Satan. His victory would be so great, so definitive, that He would not just remove the sting from death, he would rip it out. And so He did! Jesus’ resurrection is the decisive and conclusive seal over all of God’s promises!

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.” 2 Corinthians 1:20

Because of this, we have no reason not to trust Him, for He has proven He is completely trustworthy! Each day we can find great comfort and confidence in knowing that every promise in His Word is true!

• He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5-6)
• He will always provide for us. (Philippians 4:19)
• He will give us His peace and strength. (John 16:33; 2 Corinthians 12:9)
• He has an inheritance for us. (1 Peter 1:3-4)
• He is coming again! (John 14:1-3)

Christ is risen! And this is relevant every day, not just on Easter! I encourage you to take a few moments each day and reflect on these and other realities of His resurrection in your life. The same power that raised Christ is available to us right here, right now! We can live in victory while we wait for the coming kingdom. Let us press on in faith each day, because He lives!

Are you still delighting in Christ’s resurrection?