April 5 Day 27
Mark 9:9-10
“As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.”
REFLECTION
What does “rising from the dead” mean to us? Like Nicodemus, we wonder at Jesus’ call to be born again from above – but to do so means we must relinquish our hold on our old life that embraced sin. This dying to self: our selfish desires, impious habits, and God-denying nature is necessary for regeneration in Christ. The bad news is that the cost of our sin is death.
The good news of salvation in Jesus is that we too can rise from the dead! From our old life that was doomed to eternal destruction, God can lift us from our grave and set us on our feet in the kingdom of heaven. Being a disciple of Jesus is not the same as joining a club, becoming a member of an organization, or even signing a contract with God. Rather, it means true repentance and a commitment to God alone…loving God with our whole being and loving others to the glory of God.
PRAYER: Lord, we know that the wages of sin is death. But we also know that Jesus Christ has already paid that price on the cross and that those you call can rise from the death of sin-bondage as well as from the grave of our mortal ending. This is a free gift that nobody can earn, but it also requires a holy covenant, bound by your Holy Spirit, and witnessed to in faith, to truly know. AMEN
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