Read: 1 Corinthians 15: 30-32

Why am I in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!  What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Reflect:

Today is Good Friday, the day we set aside to remember the sacrifice Christ made to provide a genuine hope for each of us – hope of salvation and eternal life. But first, there was the pain.

Pain was also familiar for Christians in the first few centuries as they faced real danger. Practicing their faith did put them at risk for everything. Some lost their lives, including the apostle Paul. This is one more reason to have confidence in what Paul proclaimed and lived. He was absolutely committed to the cause of Christ. According to church history, when the time came, he literally placed his head on the chopping block as he was beheaded for his allegiance to Christ in 62-64 AD.

Paul reminds us of what matters on this Good Friday (or any other day), when he wrote “if the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Respond:

This year, Easter will be very different for all of us, but the central theme of our faith is found in this one work – resurrection. There may be pain today, but Sunday is comig.