Have you ever developed a dream board with images of what it is you’re working toward? By adopting this practice, I have prioritized my medical weight management goals to be in the forefront of my vision. No matter what the ups and downs of the metrics are, I am seeing the slow transformation of building lean muscle and strength- one day at a time. In this passage, Paul expresses the miracle of our resurrection body. When we visualize the promise of being “in Christ” and allowing His resurrection power to transform us, we are filled with new determination to live out verse 58. – Teresa #steadfast #immoveable #alwaysaboundingintheworkoftheLord #knowingthatourlaborisnotinvain #intheLord
I Corinthians 15: 35-58 (ESV)
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;[b] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall[c] also bear the image of the man of heaven.
Mystery and Victory
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Footnotes:
a 1 Corinthians 15:33 Probably from Menander’s comedy Thais
b 1 Corinthians 15:45 Greek a living soul
c 1 Corinthians 15:49 Some manuscripts let us
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Father of lights bestows on us gifts in keeping with His unchanging nature (James 1:17). When Job’s gifts were taken away, he recognized their origin and worshiped God. Job recognized God’s position in the universe as source of unchanging, steadfast love. Job grieved and mourned his loss but was blameless in his theology. There was not a moment when Job would curse God although there was plenty of time when he struggled with his own painful existence. Was the testing of Job a lesson for all time? A timeless truth about God’s understanding of how each of us respond to life’s trials? – Teresa #trustHim #creatorGod#morethanenough #Godssteadfastlovegivesbackabundantly #readch14ScrewtapelettersCSLewis
Thanks, Jessica, for this precious pic from your wedding! I am reminded of the importance of surrounding our lives with love. So many layers of His protection around our heart nurtures the seeds of righteousness. Out of the one, many! – Teresa #family,friends,community
Will we use this gift of life to thank Him? In a world where life is deemed casual, we have this unique understanding of God the Father’s precious love toward us. At a wedding in Littleton, CO, I was struck by the extreme contrast of a high school with so much sadness (following the anti-Christ shooting many years ago) and the wedding venue with the joy of life being celebrated. The father of the flower girl seized the moment on the dance floor to swing her around and dance with skill and joy. The girl’s face was beaming. She was so proud of being in the loving presence of her father, with her beautiful wedding clothes on. She radiated her father’s glory. We too can radiate our Father’s glory as we are clothed for the wedding of the lamb and fully enjoy the fellowship of the trinity. – Teresa #livegrateful
Holding on to friendship means we are exhibiting God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. In verse 14 below, God’s friendship is characterized by His desire to share with us His covenant. Our posture with God requires an awesome respect for who He is. He is willing to share with us His faithful covenant of love. Let’s keep our eyes on the LORD, who is the source of true friendship- Teresa #spaceneedle
Reconnection 