The Glory of the Empty Tomb & What it Means to Live a Risen Life
Too often the things in which we find our sense of meaning are actually meaning-less.
In and of themselves, our beautifully decorated homes will not last, and neither will our happy marriages to our handsome husbands. Even our motherhood will undergo a shift as we step into the life that is yet to come.
Our possessions and money and fame and pleasure and position on this earth are shrouded in futility. Time is passing so quickly. This life is like a molecule of water in an infinite ocean of forever. Death will soon be upon us.
But that is not where this story ends.
The glory of the empty tomb
You see, after the darkness of Christ’s death came the glory of the resurrection!
Christ singlehandedly defeated the power of sin and death. He redeemed our lives in this one act. He breathed eternal meaning and unimaginable love into our daily reality. And hope, ah hope. So much hope.
In this moment, our death-bound reality cracked open and all heaven broke loose! The power of the grave was defeated.
This is the hope and power and joy of the empty tomb! It is inexpressibly great!
God, in His great mercy, has given us eternal life.
And here’s the kicker that so often we miss: our eternal life starts now, not later when we die. But what does it mean to live this risen life now? That’s what I’d like to consider with you today.
What it means to live a risen life now
The Bible says there are three things that will remain after this world has passed away: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). These three ways of being are both spiritual and practical. They characterize the risen life.
1. Walk in Faith
Faith is the confident assurance that what we hope for will come to pass.
This confidence sets us free from the fear of death. It gives us the wisdom to live a holy life, the prudence to long for heaven, and the long-sightedness to patiently endure suffering. When we have true, deep, wholehearted faith, it suddenly doesn’t matter if we are not acclaimed in this world or if our life goes off plan.
Just as early Christian believers trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free, we too must place our hope in the resurrection to a better life (Hebrews 11:35-40). When our faith is firmly planted in eternity, we learn to lay aside our self-centered agenda and follow God wherever He leads.
- It is through faith that we are able to serve our families more than they deserve.
- It is through faith that we are able to walk in gratitude and trust regardless of our circumstances.
- It is through faith that we are able to make knowing God a priority over mindless entertainment.
Our complete confidence in what is yet to come is the very thing that enables us to live a radical life. We see and believe that God exists, that what He says is true, and that “He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
2. Hold on to Hope
Our hope is not a statistical or optimistic wish for this life to get “better.” That version of hope is shifty and uncertain. No, our hope is far more.
We have a hope that is certain and unmovable, an anchor for our souls! This is the hope of heaven. It is the hope that restoration is coming, that we will be made whole and right, and that all our tears will be wiped away forever. It is the hope of Easter!
This is gospel hope.
Gospel-hope says that God is still good, even in the midst of our hardest hour. It says that God’s grace is sufficient for us, right now. Gospel-hope says that these present sufferings will produce good fruit, fruit that cannot be borne in our lives otherwise. It says that we will be rewarded in eternity for our faithfulness in troubles and that these troubles themselves are producing “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Holding on to this hope means we willing trust God in each circumstance of our lives. It looks a lot like joy and peace!
3. Do Everything in Love
Even the most basic of tasks, when done in love, will endure, while even the most spiritual or lofty of accomplishments will gain us nothing apart from love.
At the end of the end, prophecy will cease, tongues will be stilled, and knowledge will pass away. In eternity, all the toilets we cleaned and nice things we did for others will be forgotten, but the love we exhibited, through even the most menial task or the most glorious act, will remain.
Do you want to live your risen life now? Do everything in love.
There is nothing greater that God wants from us than to love Him firstly, and secondly, to love our neighbor as ourselves.
And so, we:
- Clean the toilet in an overflow of God’s love in us (no pun intended)
- Cook dinner in this overflow of love
- Pay bills in love
- Serve our neighbors in love
- Show hospitality in love
The list could go on for a very long time. When we understand that God loves us and give our hearts fully to Him, His love flows through us in joyful abundance. And this is how Christ loved us: he took on the form of a man, he washed our feet, he died for us.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34
And thus, we start living our eternal life now.
Would you like to become a more heavenly minded mom?
Over the past five years, God has opened my eyes to the truth of eternity and its relevance to motherhood, and every area of life!
In His grace, He brought me on a journey to see my life in light of heaven, and it changed everything. Now I believe He has entrusted me the task of helping other mothers anchor their hope firmly in heaven.
That is how my new book Heavenly Minded Mom was born, and after nearly two years of working, praying, and dreaming, it is HERE!
Heavenly Minded Mom is a 90 day devotional to help you embrace what matters most.
It is not a collection of stories about my life, nor is a “stereotypical” light-hearted devotional. Rather Heavenly Minded Mom is a deep examination of scripture and a invitation to reflect on what it means to live in light of eternity, in the context of motherhood. It is divided into bite-sized portions to offer space for reflection and a real perspective change over time.
Heavenly Minded Mom is divided into three sections:
- Section One is a tilling up of the hard soil of our hearts. This is a critical first step –an assault on the idols that we cling to unknowingly. The purpose of this section is to demonstrate the futility of emptiness of what we too often allow to consume us. (Don’t worry, there are nuggets of hope and redemption woven into every devotion). 🙂
- Section Two is a nurturing of the seed of eternity in our hearts. It is a time to soak in what scripture says about, well… reality, and allow it to begin germinating.
- Section Three is the fruit-bearing. It is an outflow of the joy and purpose that God has poured into our daily living in Christ. The very things that seemed meaningless at the onset of this journey are now re-infused with new (and different) purpose.
I’d love for you to join me on this journey!
Order by April 3rd and get these BONUSES!
What fun would a book launch be without bonuses??
When you order by April 3rd, you will get three bonuses.
1. A downloadable art print from Chickadee Art and Co. (a $6 value)
(It’s a quote from the book!) It says,
“God has given each one of us a calling that is beautifully simple, completely unique, and utterly eternal –to follow Him.”
I am so excited to partner with Chickadee Art and Co. because I love the heart behind what they do. One third of all their profits go to buy bus passes for moms in need.
2. The Heavenly Minded Mom Companion Journal printable download (a $10 value)
The Heavenly Minded Mom Companion Journal was created to provide you with space to organize and work through your thoughts about Heavenly Minded Mom.
It highlights additional Bible verses and key quotes from Heavenly Minded Mom, along with hand-selected quotes from other Christian leaders and teachers. The journal restates the questions from the book and provides space to write answers along withadditional guidance and commentary.
The Heavenly Minded Mom Companion Journal will be available for purchase later, but for now, it’s a free download when you pre-order!
3. 30% off jewelry at the Starfish Project
The Starfish Project is a fair-trade organization that provides dignified employment and counseling to women escaping human trafficking in Asia.
It is such a wonderful cause and their jewelry is absolutely stunning! A necklace from the Starfish Project + Heavenly Minded Mom would make a perfect mothers day gift for you or a mom in your life.
Order now here: Heavenly Minded Mom
*NOTE* You must fill out this form to claim your pre-order bonuses!
Read a Sample
Not sure if you’re ready to take the plunge? You can read the first 30 pages absolutely free right now! Get a free sample here.
Buy now at www.heavenlymindedmom.com or wherever books are sold online!
I’m excited to share my heart with you.
Reactions from the Launch Team
“This book is just blowing me away. I am so blessed to get a head start, but at the same time cannot wait to get the real official book in my hand to start from the beginning and dwell on each daily devotion for like a week each! They are seriously that good!!! Katie will give you chills, and make you laugh out loud! God has found a perfect instrument to reach me, and I’m sure many more!!!” –Meghan K.
“I recommend this 100%. I have been very challenged and encouraged as I realize how *temporal* my mindset truly is. But you know in the back of your mind, ‘I need to be living for eternity; how do I do that exactly?’ Totally reframes your thinking.” –Jessica S.
“These devotional truths are so humble, but so compassionately convicting! It takes the Word of God and just slays so many sneaky deceptions that the enemy tries to hide from us, especially as servant wives and/or mothers!!! I am overjoyed at how much my soul is already being cleaned up.” —Tawnya G.
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