SECURED INDEED

HOPE FULL: LET GO OF ANXIETY & LIVE WITH FAITH-FILLED ANTICIPATION - DAY 11

I stood in the entryway of my new home and smiled. The process of securing the keys in my hand had begun many weeks before by signing a contract and pledging a guarantee deposit. Now I was enjoying the fruit of all my efforts.

Bible Teacher Ray Pritchard has described Christ conquering the grave as the “down payment” that guarantees our future resurrection. Because death could not hold our Savior, our eternity is secured indeed. We have a hope that will endure throughout our present life on earth and enter us in to a glorious destiny to come.

Paul calls Jesus the “firstfruits” of those believers who have died. This word picture evokes the principle that the “harvest” belongs to God. The Lord had instructed his children to dedicate the first sheaf of the crop as a consecration offering. This pledge acknowledged their trust in God as their Provider and affirmed that they believed the reaping to come would be abundantly fruitful. Friend, you and I are the “fruit” of all that Christ sacrificed. Because our Savior prevailed and rose again, we can have the assurance that the grave will not get the final say in our lives.

As a Christ follower, your resurrection is secured indeed. The Apostle Paul uses the “perfect tense” here to denote that both your “hope” and “resurrection” exist with continual certainty. You can look ahead to the future and smile today because your hope has no end, and the sting of death will not impact your eternity.