BORN FOR MORE| An Easter Devotional for the Weary Believer

Easter is my favorite holiday, because I'm sick and tired of my beloved people dying.

Too many eulogies. Too many caskets. Too many words left unsaid.

I pull into the cemetery to see Mom and crank the praise tunes up, singing "Graves into Gardens" at the top of my lungs.

The song thrills me until I reach her resting place, where the words catch in my throat.

"I've fought the good fight" her epitaph reads. And despite the hard earth that covers Mom, I choose to believe she won.

I choose to recall what her death taught me:

Our broken world may be littered with gravestones, but we’re born for a resurrection.

Death no longer gets the final say; Jesus does.

No matter what grave we stare into—a crushed heart, a shattered dream, a tragic loss—Jesus has promised life while we await resurrection.

As Holy God in the flesh, Jesus's death unleashed immediate life-giving power for those who believe. Matthew’s Gospel reveals an often overlooked event:

"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His Spirit….The earth shook, and the rocks split. The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life." (Matt. 27:50-52)

Read that again.

At the sound of Jesus' earth-shaking, rock-splitting victory cry, death's chains gave way, and Christ's love tore open the ancient tombs of His people.

Tombs that buried their hope. Tombs that held them back and kept them quiet.

The death of Jesus not only changes your eternity.

The resurrection power of the Living God changes your "right now."

Every grave that prevents you from living must bow to the King of Kings.

Because Jesus walked out of the tomb with a new name — a name that causes God’s people to rejoice and makes the demons shudder. 

Revelation 1:5 declares our Risen Savior, "The Firstborn from the Dead."

"Firstborn from the Dead" means there's more to come. 

"Firstborn from the Dead" means it's your turn next. 

"Firstborn from the Dead" means that nothing is impossible with God.

Today may not feel like Resurrection Sunday. It may feel like the bloody Friday before.

Take heart, beloved bruised and battered one. It's only a matter of time before every grave opens.

Since Jesus lives forever, forever begins for you right now.

From one broken believer to another:

HE IS RISEN!