Lazarus, come out!

     When my wife and I were married, a friend gave us this cool hibiscus plant (as much as a hibiscus can be "cool").  It was lush and healthy with huge orange flowers.  Now me, being the killer of all things green, was quickly able to transform the once hardy hibiscus into a massive pot of knotted sticks.  I made the mistake of leaving it on the deck unaware that squirrels like to gnaw on hibiscus branches until they look like match sticks and tooth picks.  As far as we could tell, this thing was D.E.A.D. dead!  We put it out in the garage prior to burial and forgot about it.  A few weeks later, I walked through the garage and "BAM" there were all kinds of new, green, very much alive, twigs growing from the dead wood!  A year later that crazy hibiscus is overgrowing our bathroom and the orange blossoms are its fruit.  

     OK, so what's with the story of a resurrected hibiscus?  God, the eternal, awesome creator of the universe; the God who made everything Ex Nihilo "Out of Nothing" is in the business of making dead things live!  If you think that it was impressive for God to bring the hibiscus to life, check out this story:

     Jesus was with his disciples when he received word from his friends Mary and Martha that their brother Lazarus was gravely ill.  But, when Jesus heard this he decided to stay put for two more days.  By the time Jesus arrived in Judea, Lazarus had already been dead for four days.  When Jesus told them to roll away the grave stone, Martha pointed out that a body, dead for four days, probably didn't smell so good.  The NIV translates it this way "By this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."  The point was this:  Lazarus wasn't just sort of dead.  He was REALLY dead!

     Jesus, who the Bible tells us was the creator of everything that has ever been made, spoke these three words, "Lazarus, come out!".  And, guess what?  He DID!  Like my dead hibiscus, Lazarus came back from the dead.  Jesus Christ, is in the business of making dead things alive. The Bible tells us that without Christ, we are "dead in our trespasses and sins."  We are like Lazarus and the hibiscus.  Lazarus and the hibiscus had no innate power to make themselves alive but Jesus Christ, who is before all things and in whom all things hold together CAN make dead things live.

     I was told by a good friend that my last post was a bit "dark" and indeed it was.  (By the way, I love the feedback so keep it coming!)  I don't want to beat around any bushes here so I'll shoot from the hip.  If we're honest with ourselves, we'll admit that life is REALLY hard.  We struggle with relationships (with friends, children, and spouses).  We struggle with finances, self esteem, health, loneliness, broken hearts, depression, anxiety, fear, and I could go on and on.  If this doesn't pertain to you then you can move to the front of the class, but for the rest of us humans, we need some good news.

    Here it is again for those who may have missed it last week:  Jesus saves!  He makes all things new!  He takes four day old, smelly dead men and makes them breath again!  He makes dead hibiscus bloom!  He can take your spirit that is dead in its sin and give it new life or "New Birth".  The Bible says that we are saved "made alive" and "brought into right relationship with God" by grace (undeserved favor) through faith (believing with your heart) that Jesus lived a perfect life, died (paying the penalty for your sin and mine), and rose again on the third day (securing for us eternal life).  If you are struggling right now please don't give up or give in!  God knows your struggles.  He knows your pain, guilt, fear, and whatever you may be carrying.  Give it to him.  Ask Christ to heal you.  Be humble and admit your weakness and shortcomings then trust in Him.   Please drop us a comment if you'd like us to pray for you in any way.  It is our joy to do just that, REALLY!

Until next week,

In Christ, David