Luke 24:5-7- “In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

Without the resurrection of Jesus history would have likely remembered Him as a controversial teacher and failed messiah that was crucified during the reign of Tiberius Caesar. In fact, it’s possible that history would have recorded very little about Jesus at all. The disciples would have been ostracized by the Jewish people, disbanded, faced potential legal penalties, and then faded into obscurity like the rest of those who followed false messiahs before Jesus. But in the same way that the bodily resurrection of Jesus changed the course of human history, it also now changes everything about the way we live out our mission to follow Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4–7- “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

When Christ was buried in the tomb His body began to decompose just like every other human body after it dies. In the same way, sin put us into a tomb of ever increasing rottenness and corruption before Jesus saved us. The very act of God saving us by His grace is like unto the act of the decomposing body of Jesus being risen into total and eternal vitality. We who once were spiritually dead through sin are now filled with the life and vitality of God’s Spirit by grace through faith, we are united with Christ through this spiritual act of redemption. In the same way that Jesus no longer lives according to the state of His previously dead body that was placed in a tomb, we also are called to no longer live as those who are spiritually dead but rather to live a life of spiritual vitality and fruitfulness by the power of His Spirit within us.

Ephesians 2:10- “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Here the Apostle Paul uses a particular Greek word when he says that we are God’s “handiwork.” It’s the word “poiēma” which is related to the English word for “poem.” In other words, now that we are united with Christ there is a cosmic symphony of redemption which is unfolding of which you and I are a part! God took us from death to life so that we can spread His life through finding our place in God’s providentially orchestrated plan for humanity. God’s Spirit within you has calibrated you to fit perfectly into the Divine project that God has already prepared in advance for you to walk in, you are designed for His plan and His plan is designed for you!

1 Corinthians 12:11–12 (NLT): 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.

When we are made alive in Christ we are not only united with Jesus but also with every other person who is part of the family of believers. This family of believers is compared to the analogy of a human body, which has many parts, but must operate as a unit in order to fulfill its intended design. In the same way, the family of believers is composed of individuals who all possess different gifts, talents, and abilities and therefore we must all seek to find our place in the body so that the whole unit can function properly. That is, until you find your place to serve in the family of God, something in the body that is needed will remain missing.

Galatians 5:13 (NIV): 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

The whole purpose of the Christian life is to emulate Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “I did not come to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.” Therefore, we must understand that everything God has given us, His power, our spiritual gifts, our resources, our family, friends, and anything else is given to us so that we can serve others in the name of Jesus. There is no better way to spend our lives than in serving others. When we die we cannot take anything with us, the only thing that will matter is if we use what God gave us to lead others to a personal knowledge of Him. Will you make this commitment today?

Prayer of total surrender: Lord Jesus forgive me for the times that I have made it all about me. I repent of my sin and turn wholeheartedly to you by faith. Thank you for taking me from death to life through Your precious blood. I invite you to search my heart and remove every offensive way that is in me. Through faith in Your name, I surrender my whole life to you. Use me for the furtherance of Your divinely designed plan for humanity. Give me opportunities to share and show your love to others. Use my life to point people to You alone. In Jesus name, amen.