Week 14: Day 5

Intro: Hi and welcome to Orbit, a short reflection to help you put God at the centre of your life from the team behind Satellites. My name is Blessing.

Each weekday we share a little bit of the Bible with you, give you a chance to pray and think about it and provide you with one practical way to put it into practice today.

Bible: Today's reading comes from 1 Peter 1:3: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Thoughts: I was invited into the home of an elderly woman who was dying of cancer, she would soon pass on a few days later. When I entered her home, although she was visibly ill and struggling her faith in Jesus was strong. I asked her how this was and she said ‘Blessing – soon I get to be with Jesus’. She was fully convinced that the moment she breathed her last on this side of eternity, she would be with Jesus in the next.

This is what our bible reading means when it says ‘a living hope through resurrection of Jesus’

Because Jesus rose from the dead, she too had hope that she will rise to eternal life. You might be asking how can we be sure of the resurrection? Well, perhaps these historical facts will help us.

The measures the Romans took in order to prevent Jesus' body from being stolen (Matthew 27:64-66)

"A guard" - They posted a squad of 10-30 soldiers to protect and guard the tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

"A stone" - They placed a stone weighing close to 3,500 pounds in front of the tomb preventing people from coming in or out.

"A seal" - They placed a roman seal across the stone that, if tampered with, was punishable by death.

The change in the disciples

Before Jesus' crucifixion the disciples were fearful and ran for their lives (Matthew 14:50).

After the resurrection they became fearless, willing to get beaten, burned, beheaded, sawed in two, stoned and crucified. The question is: why would they risk their lives for something they knew was a lie?

Jesus’s appearances

The Bible teaches that Jesus spent 40 additional days on earth after His resurrection making convincing proofs that He was alive (Acts 1:3). Jesus appeared to over 500 people at one time who were still alive to give testimony at the time of Paul's writing (1 Corinthians 15:6)

Non-Christian historians confirm it

If the Bible was the only book that recorded the resurrection, people might criticise us for using circular reasoning. But it is well documented by credible non-Christian historians too!

The missing body was never found

If Jesus never rose from the dead, then the Romans could have produced the body, thus destroying Christianity forever.

I’ll re-read our bible reading as we close: 1 Peter 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that because Jesus rose from the dead, we too will rise to eternal life in you. Amen

Silence: There's now just a few moments of silence for you to pray, reflect on these ideas, or simply sit and be still.

Action: Every day on Orbit we give you a simple practical challenge to help you put this passage into action in your life. Here's today's: Think of one person who you could share the five points we looked at today.

Outro: That's it for today's Orbit this week. Thanks so much for joining me!