Rise Up

Sunday, April 25, 2010
Listen to this devotional:

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 – For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. (NIV)

As I was washing the dishes, I looked out the kitchen window and noticed a bird in the backyard. The starling was flapping about in an awkward way. As I gazed at him, seeking to figure out this puzzle, it occurred to me that he had been injured. Laying aside my work, I picked up a towel and proceeded into the yard. Approaching the injured creature, I tossed the cloth over it, then gently scooped it up. Taking it into our garage, I quickly found a cardboard box, large enough to use as a temporary cage.

The starling stayed with us for a number of weeks. Gradually, day by day, his injury healed, until one day, I knew he was ready. Allowing him to rest on my forearm, as he had become very tame by now, I took him back out into the daylight, where he hopped from my arm onto the fence. We both stood for a moment looking into one another's eyes, before he tentatively flapped his wings, and then, with a cry of joy, rose to freedom.

Perhaps today, you are a little like that injured bird. The world has taken its toll upon you. If so remember these words of Jesus:

John 16:33b – In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (NIV)

Christ rose above His situation and circumstances through the supernatural power of God, a fact to behold and cling to within our own circumstances. For just as Christ rose above the things of this world, so may we also, day by day, as we trust not in our own strength to overcome our circumstances and injuries, but in His healing power within us.

Prayer: Living God, we praise Your name. You arose from death once again to life. Earth could not keep her prey. We thank You that Your almighty power still reigns supreme in Christ, in us through Christ, and in this world through His church. Raise us up anew, one by one, as overcomers of this world, each and every time the world takes its toll upon us. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada

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