July 25, 2023
Passage Read: Mark 15-16
Meditation Verse: 16:14
Thought
The Eleven didn't believe Jesus had risen from the dead, even though several among the rest of the disciples saw Him. His own chosen apostles didn't believe the testimony of others, even though He had told them ahead of time that He would rise. Rising from the dead is so far out of our ordinary experience, that it is hard for anyone to believe without proof! His disciples finally believed when they saw Him with their own eyes. Yet I don't get that privilege, so Jesus elsewhere says, "Blessed are those who believe without seeing."
Application
It is no surprise that people can't believe that Jesus rose from the dead. They've never experienced that, and neither have I. To really believe it would change my life so significantly that I gladly, fearfully submit myself to Jesus and His commands. Like the disciples, I should gladly and earnestly tell others of His resurrection and His deity, of His coming again to reign, and their need to repent and believe, that they too could be saved. Help me find words to speak. Help me believe so as to speak.