Thursday, April 8

Prayer: Thank the Lord for his power to bring life to that which is dead – and thank him for bringing new life to your heart through faith.

Read:
Luke 24:1-6
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 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? He is not here; he has risen!”

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
I can only imagine that the angels were smiling when they asked the terrified women this question! After all, it was obvious what the women were doing. Jesus was dead – they had come to anoint his body for burial according to ancient Jewish custom. Where else were they supposed to look for him?

But the angels knew something the women didn’t – no tomb could contain him and death could not keep him – Jesus was alive!

In many ways, the question still stands for us today: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

We believe, of course, the story of the resurrection. We know that Jesus is alive. But still we have a tendency to seek “the living among the dead.” That is, we spend much of our time and energy seeking meaning and joy in the “dead things” of this world rather than in the living Christ!

Take some time in prayer to allow the Holy Spirit to show you any ways in which you are “looking for the living among the dead.” Is there any way in which you are trying to find life in pursuits, priorities, or people that actually may be bringing spiritual death (or at least sickness)? Ask the Lord to help you refocus your heart on his truth and his life!

Brian Coffey