City Life Starter

I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49

35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.

42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man.49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.

By Aisha Darwesh

Today’s portion of scripture provides an encouraging truth: the best is yet to come! This is huge. That means there’s something beyond death for our mortal bodies. Although our natural bodies may die in weakness, we will be raised in strength and glory! What an encouragement!

It’s interesting Paul compares burying the dead to burying a seed. That puts dying in an entirely different perspective! Instead of death being the end, it can be a brand new beginning.

How is that possible?

It is only made possible by the resurrection power of Christ inside us. I don’t think we realize the kind of power we house inside our earthly bodies. According to 1 Corinthians 15:7, the resurrection power of Christ is what powers our faith and our salvation and our redemption from sin. It is only by the resurrection power of Christ that we have hope for bright tomorrow.

1 Corinthians 15 challenges the idea that all we have to live for is this life here on earth. That’s not true. But if you live this life with an eternal perspective, then you will live this life to the fullest. You’ll go from glory to glory and from strength to strength.

There’s so much imagery in the scriptures. Paul discusses plants, animals, humans, birds, fish, and heavenly bodies like the sun, moon, and stars.  Then he goes on to the first body of a man, Adam, and the second man, the spiritual body, who is represented by Christ. Although all of us start like Adam, if by believing in our Risen Savior and receiving the resurrection power of Christ, we too, can experience a glorified heavenly body just like Jesus.

This is so countercultural to the current mindset of the world. In the media and almost everywhere you look, being young is idealized and everyone is trying to hold on to their youth and somehow stop the aging process. While I am a firm believer in taking good care of your body, time is nothing to be afraid of. Instead of being dominated or diminished over time, you can actually grow in maturity and strength and use your time to glorify God and advance His Kingdom.

Death is an enemy to be defeated. In fact, the Bible says that death is the last enemy to be destroyed. Then God will be supreme over everything. That is such a comforting thought. For anyone who has felt the pain of loss from the death of a loved one, you can rest assured that Christ is triumphant even over death. There will come a day when every tear will be wiped away.

Until then, we’ve got to give it everything we’ve got. As we yield to the Holy Spirit and obey and honor God, this resurrection life will flow out of us in glorious ways.

Application

Think about how you are spending your time. Are you a planner or do you like to play things by ear? I don’t know if there’s a wrong or right there, but I do know that God cares about how you spend your time. He wants to be a part of your life. In fact, He wants to be the center of your life!

Are you only devoting yourself to God on Sunday mornings? Or are you giving Him every part of your day? There are times for everything and I don’t think we have to exclude God at any point in time. We don’t have to box God into Sunday mornings. By God’s Grace and great sacrifice, we can walk with the Lord and enjoy Him 24/7/365!

This may sound a bit morbid, but just go along with me for a second. Grab some paper and a pen and write out your obituary. How would you like it to read? What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Take it one step further. Imagine you have come to the end of your natural life here on earth. You fade out of this world and into another. Now, you are standing before Almighty God. He is seated on the throne and you approach Him. What is He going to say? What would you like Him to say? How can you live your life today in anticipation of God telling you “Well done, My good and faithful servant”?

Prayer

Father God, I am so comforted to know that there is something beyond my life today. I pray Galatians 2:20 over myself and pray these words to become a reality in my life:

“20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Lord empower me with Your truth today. In Jesus Name, Amen.