Acts 26:8  “Why do any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?” (CSB)

—

Is anything too hard for God? The Pharisees who opposed Paul certainly believed God could raise the dead. However, they wanted to pick and choose who got raised. Jesus was not on their list. 

God demonstrated what they believed to be true, but he did so to someone they didn’t like. Don’t you hate it when that happens?

Resurrection is kind of a big deal. What happened with Jesus will happen to all who come to him in faith. He is the first and the proof of what God wants for you and me. Death is an enemy whose time is limited. Death’s hourglass sands are slipping away. 

Why would anyone be attracted to any god or any philosophy that ends with death? 

Stoics like to say, “Memento Mori.” This is a cheery little statement to repeat each morning. It means, “Remember, you are going to die.” I prefer what Jesus did to death and what Paul had to say about it: God raises the dead. Death is not the end of all things; life is, at least for those who know Jesus as Savior and Friend.

There’s a really good chance you and I are going to die. Our only opt-out opportunity to skip this step is if Jesus returns while we are still alive. So, yeah, Memento Mori. Also, Memento Life. Death was not the end for Jesus, and it is not the end for those who belong to him. 

We can mope with the Stoics, or we can sing praise with those who see beyond this mortal vale. 

—

I will sing with those appointed for resurrection and whistle through the graveyard.

—