He Stinketh
Church was good today. (Italicized words are from the notes I scribbled down during the service.)
Before the message I was blessed by words in a worship song written by one of the guys on stage
"...do what you will do LORD, for your glory, not for my comfort. Move LORD, for your glory..."
My heart prayed those words to the LORD as I eagerly entered the service with a desire to hear from Him today. How often we come to a church service aching inside for a crumb from the Master's table. No one really sees our insides, but He does. He heard my cry and knew my deep need: He met me so gently, so graciously and so powerfully.
The message was in John 11: Lazarus. We know the story.
Lazarus was sick, Jesus waited two extra days, Lazarus died. He told Martha, "Your brother will rise again." She knew this was true, in the future, at the resurrection. But why did you wait? What about now? Where were you?
God was in charge. He was there. This is my work, to amaze you.
"Teach me LORD, to number my days, so I may gain a heart of wisdom..."
Lately I have been greatly affected by the deaths of friends or people connected to people I care about and love. Our days are numbered... we are not promised tomorrow.
Jesus Wept.
Our teacher today reasoned that as we see in Jesus weeping, he was most likely experiencing more than a sad emotion, can we assume maybe a sense of anger? When we understand grief and how its process effects us, anger is a good assumption.
See, this wasn't meant to be this way: You were created for LIFE, not death. This is the effect of the fall. He wept over the depth of the separation this causes with God.
He could have kept him from dying... but then you would not have been amazed!
After 4 days, he "stinketh," Nothing good had happened in that tomb.
John 11:40 "I am about to blow you away!!" (paraphrased from my pastor)
Like You, Lazarus is released, raised to Life! Jesus, our savior, went looking for a dead man. YOU and ME: when you begin to see how deep God went to rescue you, You will love Him!
Before the message I was blessed by words in a worship song written by one of the guys on stage
"...do what you will do LORD, for your glory, not for my comfort. Move LORD, for your glory..."
My heart prayed those words to the LORD as I eagerly entered the service with a desire to hear from Him today. How often we come to a church service aching inside for a crumb from the Master's table. No one really sees our insides, but He does. He heard my cry and knew my deep need: He met me so gently, so graciously and so powerfully.
The message was in John 11: Lazarus. We know the story.
Lazarus was sick, Jesus waited two extra days, Lazarus died. He told Martha, "Your brother will rise again." She knew this was true, in the future, at the resurrection. But why did you wait? What about now? Where were you?
God was in charge. He was there. This is my work, to amaze you.
"Teach me LORD, to number my days, so I may gain a heart of wisdom..."
Lately I have been greatly affected by the deaths of friends or people connected to people I care about and love. Our days are numbered... we are not promised tomorrow.
Jesus Wept.
Our teacher today reasoned that as we see in Jesus weeping, he was most likely experiencing more than a sad emotion, can we assume maybe a sense of anger? When we understand grief and how its process effects us, anger is a good assumption.
See, this wasn't meant to be this way: You were created for LIFE, not death. This is the effect of the fall. He wept over the depth of the separation this causes with God.
He could have kept him from dying... but then you would not have been amazed!
After 4 days, he "stinketh," Nothing good had happened in that tomb.
John 11:40 "I am about to blow you away!!" (paraphrased from my pastor)
Like You, Lazarus is released, raised to Life! Jesus, our savior, went looking for a dead man. YOU and ME: when you begin to see how deep God went to rescue you, You will love Him!
"And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses."
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