Friday, May 8th, 2009 "Risen"

Tsunami Devotional by Steve Keaton

Friday, May 8^th, 2009
Title: Risen
Text: Mark 16:6 (NIV)
⁶"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

As I sit in my office, reading emails, surfing the internet, following people on Facebook, checking out the headlines and feeling the pulse of this world, I am both saddened and amazed by the world I live in. My heart aches for a society that seems so consumed and focuses on following something they view bigger than themselves. This planet is filled with billions of people who are in a full-out pursuit of fulfillment, no matter the cost. There are 22 “Major” world religions. 22 different paths that people around the globe are currently walking on. 22 routes that give direction to people’s lives. Whether you are one of the 2.1 billion Christians, or one of the 1.2 billion individuals following the Islamic faith, or even one of the 600,000 Rastafarians on the Earth, there is a good chance you are part of one of these 22 groups. Or, maybe you aren’t religious at all. Maybe you don’t believe in God or Jesus or Buddha of any of the others. Maybe you are pursuing another force. It could be fame, fortunate, status. How about education, high-levels of athleticism or something else like that? I don’t care who you are. Everyone is following something or someone. Every person is trying to find fulfillment and meaning for their life.

I am a very blessed man. I have the greatest job in the world. I have the privilege of being a part of the lives of remarkable teens who I can truly see changing our world. I am blessed with the humbling opportunity to travel around this country and speak to groups about the life and love of Christ. I have the most wonderful, loving, caring and supportive wife possible and children who actually think I’m a pretty decent guy. I am the richest man in the world. But even with all of this, my heart breaks when I think of the fact that billions of people, who have all been molded and formed and shaped in the palm of God’s hands, have no true understand of what that can and should mean to them. And instead of running toward the outstretched arms of God, they have their sights set elsewhere. All the while the world is like a cosmic traffic cop, waving each person through the intersection of the rat-race, with most people thinking they have is all figured out. Then sitting silently at the end of the day wondering what their life is all about.

To me the text from John 14:6 says it all. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” The Way. The Truth. The Life. But when that short phase is brought into the light, Christ-Followers are often viewed as intolerant, close-minded or judgmental. Well how can that be if the God we claim to follow gives us that creed and then directs us to share it with a lost world? And how can Christ-Followers truly be authentic in their faith if we think otherwise or are too timid to share the truth?

You see, unlike any other religious movement, whether one of the so-called “Major 22” or some other religious sect or even the worldly carrot that enticingly dangles in front of each of us, Christianity is very, very different. What’s the difference? We follow THE risen God. We follow the one who left the comforts of paradise to come and live amongst us. We follow the one who is both fully human and fully divine. We follow the one who, instead of sitting in some other-worldly, supernatural place pointing a disconnected finger and placing judgment, came to Earth to be the blameless sacrifice that would atone for all of the mess we had created and remove everything that separates us from God. And we follow the one who kept the promise. The promise that he would not be done with his final breathe on the cross, but would stand up, walk out and rise up 3 days later. We follow THE Risen God. Not one of many. Jesus is the only one to accomplish this. Sure, anyone can make the promise of something like that, but Christ is the only one who delivered on that promise.

So when we find ourselves trying to reach the lost, let’s not forget who we worship, who we follow and who we love. It’s not just some good man who lived for 33 years and had a 3 year ministry with 12 of his closest buddies. Instead, find courage, strength and power in the fact that we follow the one who conquered the sting of death, rolled the stone away, rose from the tomb and paid the price for you, me and all people. HE IS RISEN!!!! Let’s make sure the world knows that.

Something to Think About:

• What do you put your faith in?
• Are you chasing the false idols of this world or are you consumed with the risen one?
• Is your pursuit of a more fulfilled and intimate relationship with Jesus evident for all to witness?
• How can that relationship become closer and more intimate?
• How can God use your relationship with Christ to impact the world around you?

A Few Minutes with God:

God, I pray that from this moment forward I will find the passion in my soul to stand firm in my relationship with you. Help me to find the loving, compassionate and strong voice to stand in the line of opposition and live a life that is reflective of your presence in my life. Jesus, thank you for keeping your promise and for the sacrifice you made for me and for all. I pray that I may live a life worthy of the gift you have given me. Amen.