April 16 devotion

You can watch today's devotion here.

I haven't received very many pictures of everyone to share.  If you don't want to do it, that's fine.  If you do, please do so soon.  Thanks!

Also, if you want to be part of the "filming crew" on the Saturdays we record worship at St. John please let me know.

Imperishable.

1 Corinthians 15:42-43

4/16/20

Pastor John C. Berg

⁴² That is the way the resurrection of the dead will be. What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.

This is your daily devotion for April 16^th.  This week we’re spending time in 1 Corinthians 15, the great resurrection chapter of the Bible. Yesterday we were comforted with the fact that because Jesus rose we too will rise.  Death is not the end.  The Bible says all people will rise, both believers and unbelievers.  But there is a difference.  In 1 Corinthians 15:42-43 St. Paul wrote, “⁴² That is the way the resurrection of the dead will be. What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.” 

The bodies we have right now are only going to get worse.  Anyone older than 20 knows that.  They are perishable.  Just as a tomato plant dies and eventually rots so it will be with my body, and the road to death is filled with all sorts of aches, pains and indignities.  But in the resurrection Jesus will give believers glorified bodies that do not perish! 

What exactly does that mean?  Those of us on social media have been encouraged to share our senior pictures to honor all the seniors this year who are being robbed of their proms, graduations and all those other memorable senior year festivities.  Well, here you go.  Yes, some of us peaked early!  I wouldn’t mind looking like that again when Jesus raises me.  Perhaps most of us will look like we did at 18 or 25.  We can say a few things for sure.  I won’t have asthma.  You won’t have arthritis.  Never again will there be a pandemic.  Your loved ones won’t have to watch cancer slowly kill you.  That slow but inevitable decline of perishable bodies will be a thing of the distant past.  The future, for eternity, will be glorified, perfect bodies.

Today we pray for Tim White, Darrel Crider’s niece’s father who is in the ICU in Duluth with kidney failure brought on by COVID-19.  We also pray for Tim’s daughters, Rachel and Mackenzie and their mother Jen who is Darrel’s sister.  Dear Jesus we ask you to bring healing and relief to Tim.  Bless the doctors and nurses caring for him.  Comfort his family with your promises of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life.  Amen.