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But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15: 35-38, 42-50)
Happy Tuesday, dear Friend! May the unexpected, unexplainable blessings of the Lord be yours today; and may we learn to be generous with all we receive!
Have you ever received a gift that you did not expect? One to which you had no clue that it was coming? And one which you opened in front of the giver only to stand there, open-mouthed, confused between crying or laughing as a response? I think we do that more often with the gifts and promises of God. That was certainly the case with the converts Paul won over to the Lord who are now asking questions about death and resurrection. Paul's urgency won them over; Christ is coming back! he preached, and now some years later, they were asking, "Where is He?" And meanwhile, loved ones were dying savage deaths at the hands of those who opposed their faith.
Last week's Epistle reading was from this same chapter, where Paul addresses that, and today's addresses some of the questions that believers were asking about resurrection. And again, this takes us back to the question asked in the title of today's devotional? Do we ask questions about gifts and promises? Or, do we just enjoy the blessings that come with those gifts and promises? When I met my wife, I did not ask her how love works, or have her draw a diagram of what was coming out of her heart that was sure making my heart happy. Besides not being romantic, that would have made her run away from me. Yes, we can ask what is love, and poets, artists, hymn writers and theologians have tried to explain it; but when we experience it and just bask in it, that's the best. And Paul is trying his hardest to say, listen, resurrection happens in an unexplainable, irrational way. The world says death is the end; God says it's just part of life that leads to new, eternal life for the believer; why ask questions about it when you can just bask in the promise of life beyond this life?
More times than I can count, I have read the liturgy for committal of a body. The promise of Paul from this passage is there about a seed being planted; "What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body." Through tears and grief at my mother's and father's burial, I couldn't hear nor receive these words as the pain was too real and too strong; but regardless of my understanding or lack thereof, God's promise still held. This morning as I read and write these words, they ring stronger and true. This is our hope. This is our faith.
PRAYER: COMFORTING God, bring Your peace to this dear reader and to me. Many are the memories of dear ones who now stand in Your presence. Their absence here still hurts from time to time, and often we find ourselves weeping in hidden places; but Your truth still stands, and our hope still remains in You. Be our rock when we are wet sand; lift us up when we seek to hide in lower places; grant us life when we think we are surrounded by death. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a Resurrection Person today! Be Good News walking!
Eradio Valverde
Prayers for Nellie and me as we travel towards St. Louis for the General Conference. Prayers for our daughter Carli's dog, Winston, who for three weeks has been battling an eye infection and we go back for a third checkup today. Thank you for your love and prayers! Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.
