Fw: the other side of life

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2016 7:20 AM
Subject: the other side of life

Easter is this coming Sunday.  What an amazing historical event is remembered.  Jesus, who had been publicly executed for the world to see burst from the confines of death and showed himself to hundreds of people as He was alive again.  I think the second amazing thing that Easter means is that we also can follow in Jesus' path.  Because He showed that death could not hold Him we have confidence that there is life for us, as well, on the far side of death.  That confidence, though, means moving from an historical awareness of Easter to a personal faith that we will also move through death to life.   

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Interestingly this means actually moving from spiritual death to life before we die.  The apostle John put it this way (John 5:24) ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.  So, in a very real way, our personal resurrection actually happens while we are still here, in this body, as we hear the words of Jesus and believe in the Father, who sent Him.

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And as our bodies eventually weaken and fail we are confident that we will have new bodies and live in eternity with the one who pioneered the path from death to life forever.

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1 Corinthians 15:⁴² So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.

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May your joy rise with your confidence that you can live forever!

Rob Smith