Do something right now. Gently press two fingers against the inside of your wrist.
Feel that?
That rhythm is your pulse. Blood moves through your body, keeping you alive without you having to think about it, manage it, or earn it. It just pumps.
The early disciples believed something about that pulse that most of us have never seriously considered. Paul writes it in Romans 8:11 CSB: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”
The power that rolled the stone away from the tomb — the same power that reversed death itself — is the same power that is in you right now. Not a smaller version of it. Not a distant echo of it. The same power, alive in you, beating in you, and working through you.
Most of us move past that too quickly on our way to the practical application. We know the verse. We've heard it. But we don't live like it's true.
I've spent seasons of my life running on fumes. I've experienced burnout, disconnected and going through the motions of ministry while privately wondering if any of it was real. I was preaching about resurrection while quietly wondering if anything would actually change in my own life. I knew the theology. I had read the verses. But somewhere between my head and my daily experience, the power got lost.
What I've learned slowly and through some painful detours is that the problem wasn't the power. The problem was that I had stopped expecting it to show up! I had exchanged a living faith for a professional one. I was reading the Bible for other people, not for myself. I was praying because that's what pastors do, not because I actually believed anyone was listening.
The power didn't go anywhere. My expectations had just closed the door on it.
Paul describes this power in Ephesians 1 as "the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead." (Ephesians 1:19-20 NIV) Resurrection power is not reserved for spiritually impressive people. Nor does the right level of faith or the right track record unlock it. It lives in you because of what Jesus did, not because of what you've done.
The question isn't whether the power is there. The question is whether you've stopped expecting it to work.
Identity Statement:
“The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in me. I am running on Resurrection Power!”
Reflect:
Be honest: are you living like resurrection power is available to you, or like you're mostly on your own? What would change today if you took Romans 8:11 at face value?
Prayer:
Jesus, I confess that I often live like the power left when things get hard. Remind me what lives in me. I don't want to go through the motions of faith while the real thing is available. Amen.
One final quote:
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
Romans 8:11 NIV
JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM
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