I still have Easter on my heart. It is kind of like the after-glow that is left in the sky after a
sun set. God spent Easter weekend reminding me that He is a God of miraculous power- resurrection power.
Easter is a time of hope. Not only the hope of the resurrection after we leave this earth, but the resurrection power that we see daily in the lives around us- lives that were “walking dead people” before they submitted to the Life Giver. There are times when we even get to witness this miracle and it never gets old.
There are also times when we don’t witness it with our eyes but we get to hear about it with our ears. I never tire of hearing peoples’ resurrection stories. When you meet someone who loves and serves God, it is wonderful, but when you sit down with them and hear about where God has brought them from, it’s another level entirely. You find yourself in utter disbelief, that the person before you was in the “mire” in such a way. How can it be? How did I not see any trace of that life when I met them? Unlike the after-glow I spoke of earlier, there is no sign of their former life- no dragging grave clothes to give their prior sins away. Only the mark of Christ on them that drops the mouth, widens the eyes and forces us to see the miraculous resurrection power of God.
In John 11, when Martha heard that Jesus was coming to their home, she went out to meet Him. She said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” (John 11:21-22)
Is that the attitude that we have with Jesus? No matter what situation we find another in, whether a family member, a student or a stranger, do we still say to Jesus, “Even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
When Mary and Martha lost Lazarus they were feeling hopeless. At that time, they were not seeing it as an opportunity for God to receive glory. Their hearts were broken and their worries for the future were real. Martha said she believed Jesus could do anything. She even said she believed He was “the Christ, the Son of God” but when Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away, she immediately objected because of the humiliating stench that would besiege all who were there.
“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” (John 11:39)
Do we come across situations that we feel like would even be too hard for Jesus to “fix.” Are there times when you brush your palms together and say, “There’s nothing to be done.” That just may be the time when Jesus resurrects a life; a life that has been dead so long, the stench is at the point of unbearable until…
“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)
Let’s Witness the Glory of God Together,
Brice
Brice Maddock
COO, Teen Challenge Southeast
and our text: Experiencing God by Blackaby, Blackaby and King. This is a two month course.
ship and the text: Habitudes I – The Art of Self Leadership by Tim Elmore. This book is part of a series of 3 books. They are based on the fact that leadership isn’t merely one-dimensional – it runs 360 degrees – we influence others all around us. The leadership journey begins with self-leadership – we must lead ourselves before we lead anyone else.
