ANCHOR DEVOTIONS MARCH 21,2012

Lives that Matter

"Therefore, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
(1 CORINTHIANS 15:58)

INSIGHT
WE CAN PERSONALLY KNOW CHRIST AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION TODAY.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Judges 16-17
Psalm 117
1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Resurrection Body

35

40

“Death is swallowed up in victory.^[

56

58

Footnotes:

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
⁴² It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. ⁴³ Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. ⁴⁴ They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
⁴⁵ The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”^[a]^b]^c]^d]
55 ^e]

a.

1 Corinthians 15:45 Gen 2:7.

b.

1 Corinthians 15:49 Some manuscripts read let us be like.

c.

1 Corinthians 15:54 Some manuscripts add and our mortal bodies have been transformed into immortal bodies.

d.

1 Corinthians 15:54 Isa 25:8.e.

LORD, GIVE US REVIVAL [PART 4]
with Ray & Anne Ortlund

Throughout history God's Spirit has unexpectedly brought sweeping revival to unique places and people groups. It can happen again where you live, but it must start in your own heart. 1 Corinthians 15:55 Hos 13:14 (Greek version).”O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?^[ this Scripture will be fulfilled: the heavenly man.
⁵⁰ What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
⁵¹ But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! ⁵² It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. ⁵³ For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
⁵⁴ Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,^[ But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. ⁴⁶ What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. ⁴⁷ Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. ⁴⁸ Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. ⁴⁹ Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like^[But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” ³⁶ What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. ³⁷ And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. ³⁸ Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. ³⁹ Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

From Christ's living presence, Paul understood that he was commissioned to introduce others to Jesus. Some would believe. Some wouldn't. Some would be intrigued, and others would attack him.

Still, he warned, if just for this life Christ was their hope, they were to be pitied more than all. He was desperate for them to know the truth that had utterly transformed him, that Christ's risen life changed him now and for eternity. No wonder he wrote to the Philippians in 3:10-11: "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 of the dead."

With that as our vision and anchor, every day can be one of joy, sharing life rich in Christ with others. When our daily tasks are motivated by our risen Lord, it is always labor that bears fruit for eternity. And even when we grow weary, we know that He who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6).

1 Corinthians 15:35-58