Devotions this week are based on Week 7 Temptation to Triumph: Triumph: Death Defeated! (WATCH HERE)
Matthew 28:8-10 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The women left the tomb “afraid yet filled with joy.” Fear and joy exist together, but joy begins to take the lead.
Fear is real. The women had just experienced something overwhelming. They were expecting a tomb with a stone in front of it. Instead, they found an open tomb with angels appearing to them. And yet, joy was rising because of what they now knew. Jesus was alive!
Then Jesus meets them. Everything changes in that moment. They fall at His feet and worship.
Joy is not the absence of fear. It is the presence of something greater. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” That means joy grows as we focus on who He is and what He has done.
That joy drives life forward.
Jesus’ final words in this passage are clear. “Do not be afraid. Go and tell.”
The resurrection does not just comfort. It commissions. The women do not stay at the tomb. They move forward with purpose.
Romans 6:4 tells us that just as Christ was raised, we too may live a new life. That means your life now has direction. It is no longer about simply getting through the day. It is about living for Him.
In Acts 4:20, Peter and John say, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” That is what confidence in the resurrection does. It compels you. It moves you.
Think of a team that wins a championship. The victory changes everything. There is confidence, energy, and purpose moving forward. They do not live the same way they did before.
That is what the resurrection does for you. You live with the confidence that Jesus has already won. And that confidence shapes how you live and what you say.
Reflect: How has the resurrection changed your sense of purpose? Who is one person you could share hope with this week?
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you have given my life joy and purpose through your resurrection. Help me to live with confidence today. Open my eyes to opportunities to share your hope with others. Give me courage to go and tell. Amen.