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.”

1 Corinthians 15: 30-32

On Good Friday, Patrina and I attended a couple of different services, one at our home church and then later in the evening with some friends. In between, we watched part of the services at the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta. The online service featured a powerful song that reminded us while there was pain on Friday, Sunday is coming.

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.”

Christ’s sacrifice provided a genuine hope for each of us – the hope of salvation and eternal life. There may be pain today, but Sunday is coming and Jesus is alive.