December 29

Rejoice in the Lord

After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. — John 20:20 BSB

Christ’s death brought great sorrow to the disciples, but His resurrection filled them with unspeakable joy. Without the resurrection, there would have been no Christian joy. His death was necessary for our sins, but if He had remained in the grave, we would have gained nothing from His death.

A dead mother can do nothing for her children, and a dead Savior couldn’t have helped us either.

We need a living Savior, someone to whom we can bring our sins, knowing He will forgive. We need His strength to guide us safely through life until we reach heaven.

We need a living Friend, whose love blesses us, whose strong arm holds us in our weakness, who defends us in times of temptation, whose presence inspires good thoughts and holy desires.

We need a living Comforter, who pleads for us in heaven and stands by us on earth through all of life’s trials.

We need a living Shepherd, who cares for us, guides us, and meets all our needs.

We need a victorious Prince, who has conquered death and the grave, and who will raise us up as well.

No wonder the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord alive again! We too should rejoice in the resurrection of Christ. We have a living Savior who loves us, and because He holds the keys of death, no grave can hold us or those we love who sleep in Him. We can experience true communion with Jesus, just as His first disciples did, because He lives and is with us always.