April 2 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the beginning of a new life for all believers. It's also the pledge of our resurrection (1 Cor. 15). The study of Colossians is part of this month's meditations on the meaning of the resurrection.

Bible Reading:

1 Corinthians 15: 12–19

Bible Text:

If Christ has not been raised; your faith is futile; you are still in your sins (1 Cor. 15:17).

Devotional:

The resurrection is what makes Christ's story the good news of salvation. Without his resurrection there is no good news.

Long ago a Jewish religious leader named Jesus met with violent death. No sensible person can deny this. If the story ended there, Jesus might inspire us, but he could never save us. The dead cannot help us, and we cannot entrust our future to a man of the past.

But on the third day he rose from the dead! His death was not an accident but an act of obedience. When the disciples saw the living Jesus, they began to understand that the crucifixion was not merely a crime committed by hateful people. They saw that God himself had acted. In the light of the resurrection, the dark day of crucifixion became Good Friday. The Spirit made clear that at the cross of Jesus our sins were blotted out.

With Jesus' resurrection, God initiated a new beginning for a dying world. The old has been forgiven, and the new has become visible.

This day may bring you joy, sorrow, or both. But our lives can never become entirely dark anymore. The light is now stronger than darkness because Jesus is alive!

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.