"But God..."

Acts 13.30 NAS

“But God raised Him from the dead...”

I heard a sermon nearly fifty years ago preached by a young man preparing to be a Baptist missionary. He made a point I have never forgotten.

“Everything” he said “hinges on that little word ‘but.’” Make the comparison yourself…

1. “I know God is able BUT... I am broke, my kids are in trouble, my wife is leaving me, and I have incurable cancer.”


2. “I have huge and seemingly unbearable problems with money, family, and illness BUT... God is able.”

Paul understood the proper placement of the conjunction, as he demonstrated in his message at the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch …

“…they asked Pilate that He be executed…. they took Him down from the
cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead.”

Paul, Acts 13.28-30 NAS

When compared to execution on a cross, my problems seem (and truly are) quite small. God’s resurrection power dwarfed the impact of the cross by rendering death absolutely impotent. Like everyone else, I face my share of sorrow and suffering in life. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, BUT… “God raised Him from the dead,” and that makes all the difference.
___________________

The image above is entitled "Overwhelmed" by photographer Tamara Gentuso who allowed me to place it on my blog. It's a close-up of a gravestone statue at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. You may preview Tammy's photography at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsgentuso/.