John 11:1–6

"A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wipedJesus loved his friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus—and because of this, he did not go to them. He knew that God had a larger, grander plan than his merely healing Lazarus. When God's answer to prayer seems to be no—when he seems to ignore your desperate pleas—it's likely that he has a bigger, grander plan. Perhaps your own suffering is a necessary (though temporary) part of it. Can you believe this, trust it, and test it in your own experience? them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, 'Lord, your dear friend is very sick.'

 

But when Jesus heard about it he said, 'Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.' So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days."
John 11:1–6

John 11:14–15, 20–27

"He told them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him.' …

When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. … Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.'

Jesus told her, 'Your brother will rise again.'

'Yes,' Martha said, 'he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.'

Jesus told her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?'

'Yes, Lord,' she told him. 'I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.'"

Martha knew that Jesus could have healed Lazarus. Now she was being asked if she believed he could actually raise him from the dead. Part of his "grander plan" in waiting to come to the sisters was stretching Martha's (and the disciples') faith further, helping them to catch a much deeper glimpse of his identity. His purpose for our lives is always to get us to know him better. When you're faced with suffering, do you primarily seek to gain relief from the suffering or to know Jesus in the suffering?

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Have a Great Day!

Carol

 

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'

Psalm 116:1–2, 5

"I love the LORD because he hears my voice
  and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
  I will pray as long as I have breath! …
How kind the LORD is! How good he is!
  So merciful, this God of ours!"

We have good reason to pray and keep praying: God listens and acts! How many prayers has God answered in your life? How can the memory of those answered prayers encourage you to keep praying? When God answers prayer, do you take time to thank him and revel in gratitude, as the psalmist does here?

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Have a Great Day!

Carol

 

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'

John 10:28–30

"'I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.'" As one of the Great Shepherd's sheep, you are utterly secure in Jesus. You will never perish; you possess eternal life. Furthermore, no one can ever snatch you away from Jesus. The Father himself has given you to Jesus. What a comfort—what security! In addition to this, Jesus and the Father are one, so you possess double power and double security. Let these truths sink into your soul. Bask in the peace of such security.

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Have a Great Day!

Carol

 

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'

John 10:27

"'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.'"


Jesus' sheep recognize his voice and follow him because he knows them. Do you recognize the voice of Jesus? How does he speak to you? In what ways do you recognize his knowledge of you? How does this motivate you to follow him?