Now while they were on their way, some of the men from the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him while we were asleep.’”

When was the last time you admitted that you were wrong about something? We all know we are not perfect but when someone points out a mistake we’ve made, it is easy to get defensive or believe people are out to get us before admitting fault. When the news of Jesus’s resurrection came to the chief priests, there were several ways they could have responded. But instead of admitting their wrong and accepting the truth, they changed the story based on their interests.

It is easy for us to say these actions were wrong, but we often face the same dilemma as the chief priests. We have been given this same good news of Jesus’s resurrection. This news is amazing and life-altering, yet we struggle. We struggle with focusing more on what is convenient for us instead of asking God for His desires and direction. We struggle to understand how the resurrection applies to our lives today. It feels easier to focus on what is convenient for us instead of asking God what He would have us do with this message. Second Timothy 1:8-10 says, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” It is time to live unashamed. It is time to listen to the Word of the Lord instead of following what is convenient and comfortable. It is time to go and tell.

• What are some challenges you face when you consider taking up the call to share the gospel?
• How would your life change if you lived each day unashamed of the testimony of the resurrection?
• Pray and confess your fears and hesitations about taking up the call to go and tell.