None of us has lived outside of, or beyond the limits of, this natural life. We believe in eternal life and we have faith in Jesus that one day we will be with Him there. I believe it is a great miracle that we have this faith. While we have lived in the flesh we have never seen a living thing that has not, or will not, die. Yet we believe, with all our hearts, that when we die it will result in a transformed body that will go on forever in the presence of the Lord. That's a wonderful faith.
This morning I was reading the story of Lazarus (brother of Mary and Martha) and how Jesus raised him to life...opened the tomb and called Lazarus out. Can you imagine the scene and the expressions on faces as Lazarus, who had died four days earlier, walked out in grave clothes? Yesterday we were talking about fragrances and when Jesus told them to remove the stone from Lazarus' grave, Martha cautioned about the stench from the dead body. But, just as there was no stench, there was no dead body. I believe that Jesus was demonstrating His sovereignty over death, not just for those present that day, but for us too. If He could bring Lazarus back from the dead to a restored natural life, He can fulfill the promise He made to Martha even before this miracle:
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Jesus makes this statement and asks this question to us all. Even though we live in a natural world, where all that lives eventually dies, can we reach across and believe Jesus when He tells us we will never die, if we believe in...depend on...put our trust in Him. This is the wonder of the story of Lazarus. Isn't it great that this promise is for us too!
blessings,
Rob Smith
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