Whatever Happened to Easter? – Today’s Family Devotion

Whatever Happened to Easter?

Bible Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:17-19

If we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world. 1 Corinthians 15:19

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead? Below are several statements describing what life might be like if Christ had never come out of the tomb. Pick the one statement that would make you the most miserable in a life with no Easter:

• There would be no Easter bunny—and probably no Energizer bunny.

• There would be no such thing as Easter break for students.

• Baskets of jelly beans wouldn’t play hide-and-seek with you.

• Chocolate bunnies would never have been invented.

• You wouldn’t wonder about the difference between “lint” and “Lent.”

• Easter Island, in the South Pacific, might cease to exist.

• You and your friends would have absolutely zero hope of having your sins forgiven and spending eternity in heaven with God.

Did the last one catch you off guard? That’s not even funny, is it?

But it’s true. If Jesus hadn’t come back to life as he promised he would, he would still be dead today. People might stare at his mummified corpse in a museum some­where—as a curiosity, not a cure for the world’s sin.

Almost everyone with a couple years of Sunday school under his or her belt can explain the big points of the New Testament’s story of Easter: Jesus was crucified and then rose from the dead on the third day. But we sometimes celebrate the Resur­rection without really understanding why it matters.

The Bible clearly explains that it took the Crucifixion and the Resurrection to provide our forgiveness. Christ’s death paid the penalty for sin, but Christ’s resurrec­tion freed us from the power of sin. If the Savior hadn’t burst out of the tomb alive, sin’s power would have conquered him and us. No wonder Paul said we would be “the most miserable people in the world” if Christ were not alive (1 Corinthians 15:19). We would face all the trials, struggles, and sacrifices of the Christian life-and then die with no hope of heaven. Thank God that he had a better plan!

TALK: Seriously—and personally: What would your life be like if Jesus had never come to save you from your sin?

PRAY: Thank you, Jesus, for dying to pay the penalty for our sins and for coming back to life so that sin need no longer control us. We look forward to living with you forever in heaven someday.

ACT: Celebrate the Resurrection by coming up with three reasons why Christ’s resurrection really matters to you.