Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Monday, April 22, 2019

"But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man [Adam], now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man [Jesus Christ]. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back."¹

"Max Lucado in his book, Six Hours One Friday, tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily. A hospital was not too far awayâ€"across the riverâ€"but the Indians would not cross it because they believed the river was inhabited by evil spirits. And to enter its water would mean certain death.

"The missionary explained how he had crossed the river and was unharmed. But they were not impressed. He then took them to the bank and placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn't go in. He walked into the water up to his waist and splashed water on his face. It didn't matter. They were still afraid to enter the river. Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He raised a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water and escaped. It was then that the Indians broke into a cheer and followed him across.

"Isn't that what Jesus did? He entered the river of death and came out on the other side so that we might no longer fear death, but find eternal life in Him."²

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that Jesus, after he died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins, arose from the grave. Because of this your Word assures me that if I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, I will also rise from death to live with you in heaven forever. Please help me to be sure that I am a real Christian and follower of Jesus Christ. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

Note: If you are not sure that you will be raised from death, please read "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 (NLT).
2. SermonCentral.com at: http://www.sermoncentral.com/articleb.asp?article=Easter-Illustrations-PowerPoints#illustrations

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