12-Day Easter Devotional

I was asked by our discipleship pastor at Journey to write to a series of daily devotional thoughts for the two weeks leading up to Easter. You can find them all in one place at takeajourney.org/devotionals. But I will also be posting them here each day on the blog. I pray that they will be a help to you in your walk with Jesus.

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INTRODUCTION

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” – The Apostle Paul, A.D. 56, 1 Corinthians 15:17

In this one verse, the Apostle Paul sums up perfectly the hope and vindication of our faith. Without the resurrection, we are still lost in our sins. Without the resurrection, we have hope in this life only. That means that this is all there is. No eternal life. No forgiveness of sins. No ultimate healing. No hope of an eternity spent with our Maker and King … IF there is no resurrection.

The goal of the next two weeks is to celebrate with joy and certainty the truth that the big “IF” has been removed. Christ has been raised! Jesus is alive and well! And His death and resurrection have altered the very course of history. Not only that, his death and resurrection should altogether alter and shape the way you and I live and function on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis.

For the next twelve days we will highlight key thoughts and teachings from Scripture surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus, upon which everything in the Christian faith hinges. Some of the passages we will examine come directly from Jesus Himself or from events that happened in the last week of Jesus’ earthly life as He prepared to go to the cross and pay for the sins of the world. Though He knew full well that His earthly life was soon coming to an end, Jesus took the time necessary to drive home important theological truths to His followers.

We will also examine passages of Scripture that relate to Christ’s death and resurrection more indirectly, but nonetheless contain huge implications for how we are to live the Christian life in light of His death and resurrection. Because let’s be honest. If we are not asking the question, “How does Christ’s death and resurrection matter to me?” then we are simply left with historical facts and have not done the necessary work to apply what He’s done to our hearts and lives.

Each day you will be given several Scripture passages to read, a devotional thought, and some challenge questions at the end. We encourage you to plan out your appointments with God for the next twelve days and read the passages assigned for each day.

Below I have given you an example of how to get the most out of your time with God.

Getting the Most Out Of Your Reading

• Begin with prayer – The Bible tells us that when we become followers of Jesus that God puts within us the Holy Spirit and that He immediately becomes our teacher and helps us understand what we are reading from the Bible. So, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand each passage that you read.
• Pick a place where you can concentrate void of distractions
• Read the passage from a translation of the Bible that is understandable to you.
• After reading, write some thoughts about what stood out to you or how you can apply what you read.