Good News Morning

Mark 16:1–7

The sun was just coming up as Mary and two friends walked to the tomb where Jesus was buried. Jesus had taught them about God and how to live for him. But then he died and now some of them wondered if any of what he taught was true.

Even in their sadness, the three women had to do what was right. Their custom said that Jesus’s body must be covered with perfumes and oils. They were going to the tomb to do that.

One of the women remembered watching the soldiers roll a big stone over the opening to the tomb. “It took six soldiers to place that stone. How are we going to move it to get into the tomb?” she asked her friends.

“We’ll figure something out,” Mary said. They rounded the last curve in the road before reaching the tomb. Suddenly the woman in front stopped.

“It’s gone!” she said. “The stone is gone. What does that mean?”

The three women slowly approached the open tomb. Stepping inside, they waited for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. “Jesus is not here. He came back to life, just as he told you he would,” an angel’s voice announced. Looking around, the women saw that Jesus was gone. “He’s alive!” they shouted. “Praise God!”

Becoming a Man of God

A man of God celebrates.

Jesus had told his friends that he would come back to life—but when he died, their hope was gone. These women surely didn’t expect that Jesus’s body wouldn’t be in the tomb. But when the angel told them that Jesus was alive, they were filled with joy.

Celebrate this today—even if it’s not Easter time. Thank God that Jesus is alive.

A Verse to Remember

Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13–14