"And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” I Corinthians 15:19:
Paul wrote this in reference to the suggestion by some Christians that there was not a resurrection. All that Paul and the apostles were doing, teaching, enduring and suffering for was centered around the preaching of the resurrection of Jesus; to suggest otherwise alarmed Paul.
But is the focus on the resurrection how my life is ordered and prioritized? Is this belief central to my teaching, preaching and blogging? Is the resurrection so important, and have I “done without”, and suffered so much because of it, and been denied so many of the satisfactions I could have received because I have clung on to preaching and teaching about the resurrection, that I would be “pitied more than anyone else” if all I believed about eternity with Jesus was all an illusion?
Say what you will, but it seems like most of us live as if this is the only life we will live, and the world we will ever be able to enjoy. Thus, we do all we can to acquire all the toys we can, avoid all the pain and suffering possible, and ensure that we are living as long, as happy and as prosperous as we can.
It seems to me that Paul would be amazed at how we order our lives today. Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and my future life with Him, and the saints that have gone before me, that drives my imagination and my determination to complete the task of evangelism? Or am I still unsure about whether or not I really believe in His resurrection, and one day, my resurrection and eternal life with Him?
Paul clearly warns/admonishes us to, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:2-3. Why this admonition? Because the way we live, and those things we dream about determine what we worship and are looking for! If my mind is set upon this world and all it has to offer, my heart will pine and lust for those things. But if my mind is set on Him and things He has prepared for me, I will realize that all that the world offer pales in comparison. The truth of the resurrection pushes me, in a way, to embrace my eternity with Him with all the hope and blessings that are associated with the resurrection.
Do you believe in the resurrection?