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b'The corpse lay still and silent as maggots wriggled and writhed along its curves and crevices. If it could have tasted anything, it would have recoiled at the pungent mucus seeping into the pores of its tongue. If it could have heard anything, its ears would have strained for the slightest sound in the deep, earthen silence. But it couldn\\u2019t taste or hear anything, couldn\\u2019t feel the maggots\\u2019 coiled bodies as they burrowed into its rotting flesh. It was dead.\\nThe maggots had names. Envy. Greed. Pride. Hatred. There were too many to name them all. There were small ones, each a wayward thought, a deed undone, a word misspoken. There were large ones too\\u2014words and actions that had penetrated deep into the hearts of others. Their size had no bearing on their lust for death. They gorged on the rotting flesh around them, their oval-shaped bodies filling out as they consumed the corpse inch by inch in the cold, heavy darkness.\\nThen, suddenly, the earth shook, and six feet of soil shifted. The grave opened, and light shone in. But this light was not merely seen\\u2014it was felt, heard, tasted. It replaced the putrid stench of the coffin with a fresh, sweet aroma. It roared.\\nThe maggots were too sluggish for the light; they didn\\u2019t stand a chance. They burned up on the spot, their engorged bodies dissolving into dust.\\nThe light had a different effect on the corpse. Free of the gluttonous parasites, it began to change. Bones and tendons joined together, and gaping flesh was soon woven by strong muscle and smoothed over with fresh skin. Blood began to flow as the heart contracted and released, and the chest heaved as the lungs drew in a long, shuddering breath.\\nI opened my eyes, stood up, and took hold of the hand reaching down to me from above. \\u2022 Courtney Lasater\\n\\u2022 Read Ephesians 2:1-7. How does this passage describe all of us? You may have heard that anyone who tries to live a good life will go to heaven. What does Ephesians 2:1-7 say about that? \\n\\u2022 What does the Bible say is the only way we can be saved? How is our salvation both spiritual and physical? (See John 6:40 and Romans 8:9-11.) If you have more questions, check out our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page. \\n\\u2022 How has Jesus shone His light into the deadly darkness of your life? \\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Ephesians 5:14b (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nJoshua 1:1-9; Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 8:28-39'