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THE POWER OF RESURRECTION

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. “ –Phillipians 3:10,11

This Sunday we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only man to have ever lived, predicted his own death and resurrection and live to tell about it! The very essence of the Christian faith is wrapped up in this one event. If Jesus was never raised from the dead Christianity would be just one more religion to help man live in peace with his neighbor. But if He really was raised from the dead, then He really was who He said He was –God! Everything He said and taught would have to be true, which would mean that everything he said about love and marriage would have to be true also. The apostle, Paul told us to have the mind of Christ, who did not count His equality with God something to be grasped but rather emptied himself, surrendering all his rights, becoming a servant even unto death on a cross, and therefore God gave Him the Name above every name. (Phillipians 2). This is the power of resurrection. Can we see this power work in our own lives, in our own marriage? Absolutely! The key is this: only after a crucifixion can you have a resurrection. In fact, only that which is crucified can be raised from the dead.

Have we surrendered our rights? Have we become servants? Do we live for our own wants and desires or do we live for the needs of another? This is the essence of the faith we profess. If we are not doing this, we simply are not loving. Love is an action. It’s sacrificing for the needs of another. Never mind this “I scratch your back; you scratch mine” thinking. That’s mutual use, not love. Love simply says, “I’ll scratch your back” –period! “That’s not normal,” you say. Right, it isn’t; it’s supernatural; it’s the love of God, his very essence flowing through us for God is love. You can’t give what you have not yourself received.

Perhaps this Resurrection season is a time to renew our identification with His crucifixion as we die to self will, and any sense of entitlement. It’s time to surrender our rights. Only then can we experience the power of resurrection, new life --eternal and abundant! We can have a new life, a new marriage, a new atmosphere of love in the home. If we’ll just say, “Yes Lord. It’s not about me; it’s about you. Arise O Lord, in me!”

Question for The Both of Us: What areas of our lives have we had difficulty in surrendering to Christ? What “rights” do we still hold on to?

Prayer for the Both of Us: Lord help us to be candidates for the power of your resurrection by first surrendering our own rights and desires. Help us to crucify the self-will so that the new man (or woman) might rise up to help us enjoy a new marriage that reflects the presence and power of God in our lives.