Dillon Community Church

Day 1: The Foundation That Holds Everything

Devotional

Have you ever watched something fall apart because the foundation was weak? A relationship built on assumptions. A plan built on wishful thinking. It crumbles the moment pressure hits. Paul wrote to a church in Corinth that was divided, proud, and confused. And he traced all of it back to one thing: a shaky understanding of the resurrection. When we lose sight of what it means that Jesus truly rose from the dead, everything else starts to wobble. The gospel is not complicated. Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose on the third day. These are not poetic ideas. They are historical facts. Jesus appeared to Peter, to the twelve, and to more than five hundred people at once. The evidence was real and verifiable. This is your foundation. Not a feeling. Not a tradition. Not a moral code. A risen Savior. When life gets hard and doubt creeps in, come back to this. The resurrection is not one piece of your faith. It is the ground beneath all of it. And because Jesus rose, your faith is not empty. Your hope is not wishful thinking. You are standing on something that cannot be shaken.

Bible Verse

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Reflection Question

If the resurrection is truly the foundation of your faith, what in your daily life reflects that you are standing on it?

Quote

"Everything hinges on the resurrection."

Prayer

Lord, thank You that my faith rests on something real. When doubt shakes me, anchor me back to the truth that Jesus rose. Help me build my life on that foundation every single day.

Day 2: What Falls Apart Without It

Devotional

Imagine putting everything you have into something, only to find out it was never real. That is the picture Paul paints when he asks: what if Christ was not raised? If Jesus stayed in the grave, faith is empty. Sins are still unforgiven. And every person who died believing in Him is simply gone. Paul does not soften it. He says we would be of all people most to be pitied. That sounds harsh. But Paul is doing something important. He is showing us the full weight of what we actually have. The resurrection is not a bonus feature of Christianity. It is the engine. Remove it, and nothing runs. Here is the encouragement in that: the resurrection is not removed. Christ has indeed been raised. Your faith is not futile. Your sins are forgiven. The people you love who died in Christ are not simply gone. Sometimes we need to look at what life would look like without the resurrection to truly appreciate what life looks like with it. You are not pitied. You are held. You are forgiven. And you have a hope that death itself could not extinguish.

Bible Verse

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." - 1 Corinthians 15:17

Reflection Question

When you consider what your life would look like without the resurrection, how does that change the way you value the hope you already have?

Quote

"If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is futile. You are still in your sins."

Prayer

Jesus, thank You that the grave could not hold You. Remind me today of the full weight of what I have in You, and let that truth fill me with genuine gratitude and hope.

Day 3: More Is Coming

Devotional

There is a moment in early spring when the first buds appear on a tree that looked completely dead all winter. That small sign carries a promise: more is coming. Paul uses a similar image when he calls Jesus the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. In the Old Testament, first fruits were the earliest crops of the harvest, brought to God as a sign that the full harvest was on its way. Jesus rising from the dead is not a one-time miracle. It is the beginning of something much larger. If you belong to Jesus, His resurrection is a preview of yours. The same power that raised Him from the dead is at work in you. Death does not get the final word over your story. This changes how we grieve. It changes how we face illness, loss, and aging. It does not erase the pain, but it reframes it. What feels like an ending is not the end. You are not waiting for a distant, uncertain hope. You are living in the early chapters of a story that ends in resurrection. And because Jesus went first, you know exactly where the story is going.

Bible Verse

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." - 1 Corinthians 15:20

Reflection Question

How would your perspective on a current struggle or loss shift if you truly believed it was not the end of your story?

Quote

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."

Prayer

Father, thank You that Jesus is the first fruits and not the only fruit. Help me live today with the confidence that resurrection is my future, and let that hope change how I face what is hard right now.

Day 4: The Seed Must Die First

Devotional

Nobody plants a seed and expects it to stay a seed. The whole point is that it goes into the ground, disappears, and comes back as something far greater than what was buried. Jesus used this image to describe His own death. And then He turned it into an invitation. To follow Him is to live by the same pattern. What is surrendered does not disappear. It is transformed. This is one of the most countercultural truths in all of Scripture. We are wired to protect ourselves, to hold on, to make sure we get credit and comfort and security. But Jesus calls us to die to pride, to selfishness, to the need to be recognized, and to the insistence on getting our own way. That sounds like loss. But the resurrection reframes it completely. What is planted in weakness blooms in glory. What is given away in obedience to Jesus is never truly lost. You may be in a season right now that feels like being buried. A relationship that cost you something. A role where no one notices your effort. A decision to do the right thing when the wrong thing would have been easier. Take heart. Seeds do not stay buried. And neither do those who follow a risen Savior.

Bible Verse

"Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." - John 12:24

Reflection Question

Where in your life is God asking you to let something die so that something greater can grow?

Quote

"What is planted in weakness will bloom in glory."

Prayer

Lord, give me the courage to release what I am holding too tightly. Help me trust that what I surrender to You is never wasted, and that You bring life out of what feels like loss.

Day 5: Your Labor Is Not in Vain

Devotional

It is easy to wonder if any of it matters. The quiet faithfulness nobody sees. The sacrifice that did not seem to change anything. The years of showing up when walking away would have been simpler. Paul ends his long argument about the resurrection with one of the most practical sentences in all of his letters. Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because your labor is not in vain. He does not say this to people who have it easy. He says it to a church that is struggling, divided, and confused. He says it after describing his own suffering, his shipwrecks, his beatings, his sleepless nights. And he says it because of the resurrection. Because Jesus rose, nothing done in His name is wasted. The kindness that went unnoticed. The prayer prayed in an empty room. The choice to serve when you were exhausted. It all counts. It all matters. It is all being held by a God who raises the dead. You do not have to see the results to trust the outcome. The resurrection is your guarantee that faithfulness is never foolish and that the way you live your life right now, today, matters eternally.

Bible Verse

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:58

Reflection Question

What area of faithful obedience in your life have you been tempted to give up on, and how does the resurrection give you reason to keep going?

Quote

"Your labor is not in vain."

Prayer

God, thank You that nothing I do for You is wasted. On the days when I cannot see the fruit, help me stand firm, trusting that because Jesus rose, my labor in Your name always matters.

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*Devotions written from sermon given by Pastor Ryan Leeds and compiled using Sermon Shots.