Luke 24:1-17

The Resurrection
1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn‘t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn‘t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day." 8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn‘t believe it. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.The Walk to Emmaus 13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, "What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?" They stopped short, sadness written across their faces.
Devotion (by Mikey Skoglund):
How crazy would it be if someone came up to you and told you that a lost friend of yours was not actually dead but was alive! I mean, I don‘t blame the disciples here for not believing it right away, but then again, isn‘t that the kind of faith and trust that God wants us to have in Him? He explained to his disciples that He would be crucified and then buried, but that He would come back again on the third day, so wouldn‘t they be thinking about that and think that its too much of a coincidence that He‘s not in the tomb anymore on the third day? You see, I think that God tells us things and gives us promises every day, but we just are not listening sometimes, so when we come across something that throws us through a loop, instead of trusting in God, its so easy to give it up and feel hopeless. This passage acts as a good reminder to trust in the Lord‘s promises, for He WILL do what He said He would do, and He will not leave you or forsake you at any time, even in the times when its hard to see your way out.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for not leaving me or forsaking me. Please help me to trust in Your word and Your promises every moment of my life. I praise You for the loving and merciful God that You are. Please give me the strength I need to live through today.