Monday Morning Leadership Devo

(Originally published on April 13, 2009)

Easter was yesterday.
Resurrection Sunday. Perhaps the holiest day of the year on the Christian calendar. You probably went to church somewhere. You were most likely blessed with great music and an inspiring word from your pastor. The chances are you had an extra-special meal with friends or family, and if you have kids there were probably eggs involved in your afternoon. It was a good day.

But now what?

Does Easter make a difference for you today? What about tomorrow? What about next month?

The answer to that, of course, is YES. Easter makes all the difference in the world. It makes a difference in ways that most of us do not perceive until we need God. And trust me, somewhere along the path of life this next week or year, something will happen and you WILL need God. Because of Easter, God will be there, closer to you than you can imagine and in ways you never thought possible.

You see, Easter verifies that everything Jesus said was true. Without a resurrection, all we have is a dead teacher who inspired the masses while he breathed. Without resurrection, Jesus is a farce. Josh McDowell said it best: without the resurrection, Jesus was either a liar (he said he was God), a lunatic (he said he was God!), or Lord…he said he was God!! And God he is. Only God could conquer death.

And that is Easter. And trust me, it makes all the difference in the world. Take time to read these two verses from the Gospel of John that appear right after Jesus’ resurrection and his revealing of himself to his disciple, Thomas.

Passage for Reflection: John 20:30-31

Why do we tell the same story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection every single year on Easter Sunday? Because we believe that by re-telling the story, people will believe and that they will have life.

Life. Isn’t that what it is ALL about? Don’t you want to live? I mean really live? Don’t you want to experience all that this creation and life has to offer to the fullest? God wants this for you as well, and the key is Jesus. And Jesus is not only the key to life in the here and now, but Jesus is the key to life, eternal life, in the hereafter. As Paul said, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Because of Easter, because of Jesus, we are in a no-lose scenario.

The only losers are those who refuse to believe. Those who make the grave mistake of leaving Jesus in the grave! Those who insist he was only a man and who, contrary to the enormous amount of evidence, ignore the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection and look the other way. The BIG mistake is that they believe they can find life outside of God. That they know better how to define happiness and blessing. That they don’t need God or want God. For them, Easter is not a mark of triumph, but of tragedy.

“Lord, I believe in you. Thank you for life! May I never tire of telling this story so others may believe and live as well. Amen.”

Blessings,
Jeff