He Has Risen

Of all the powerful verses in Scripture; of all the amazing promises contained in God's Word; of all of the wisdom, knowledge and truth that pours off the pages of the Bible, Matthew 28:5-6 sums up the basis of our faith and hope: "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen."

Jesus' resurrection is the absolute key to the Christian faith. Had he not risen from the dead, he would have gone down in history as another in a long line of martyrs who died for a cause. Had he not risen from the dead, he would have left unfulfilled a promise he made to his disciples (Matthew 17:9, 22-23). Had he not risen from the dead, he would not have defeated death and paved the way for eternal life (John 14:1-6). Had he not risen from the dead, we would still be lost in our sins and our faith would be useless (1 Corinthians 15:14-19).

Celebrate each and every day---especially today---that He is risen. The shed blood of Jesus has washed away our sins and our hope is built on nothing less than his perfect sacrifice and righteousness. He has healed our past, He walks with us in the present and He has secured our future!