Timothy Keller died yesterday. Just like many others, I was greatly influenced by his teachings, specifically his books. The Reason for God and The Prodigal God are my favorites. But in this devotional, which is a tribute to Keller, I want to base it on my favorite quote of his:

“If the resurrection is true, then everything’s going to be okay.” (Tim Keller)

The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. It is the driving force that compels Christians to keep pushing, keep moving, keep striving forward to what lies ahead, even while we suffer. Though we experience temptation, pain, and turmoil on this side of heaven, we know glory awaits. We know that, as Keller says, everything’s going to be okay—because Jesus rose from the dead.

You see, the opposite is quite depressing. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, as the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:18, then we are of all people to be pitied. If the resurrection isn’t true, we’re all doomed.

But, praise God, Jesus did rise from the grave! And because He did, we can know that everything will be okay.

What is your everything, Christian? Is it your fierce fight against temptation? Are you mourning the sudden or expected loss of a loved one? Are you experiencing your own intense suffering? Perhaps you are struggling with doubt?

It’s going to be okay, for Jesus rose from the dead. One day it will all be over—no more pain, no more anguish, no more guilt; no more suffering, no more frustration, no more hiding. Because Jesus rose from the dead, according to Keller: “Everything sad is going to come untrue and it will somehow be greater for having once been broken and lost.”

Amen. Rest easy, Tim Keller. Though we have experience tremendous loss, he has experienced tremendous gain.