The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 27 October 2019 – Jesus Christ, The Resurrection And The Life
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TOPIC: Jesus Christ, The Resurrection And The Life
READ: John 11:17-27 (NKJV)
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.
19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
THE MESSAGE:
Faithful Christians who trust in the Lord often find that they pass through some difficult experiences in life which may look like a contradiction of what they know of the compassionate character of Jesus Christ. The centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 made a simple request of Jesus who simply spoke the word from afar and the soldiers servant was healed at that instant. The Syro-Phoenician woman (Matthew 9:20-22) simply touched the hem of Jesus garment and her blood-flow stopped immediately. But when Lazarus, Jesus own friend was sick and a message was sent to the Master, He deliberately delayed until Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. This He did to reveal to Mary and Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life.
The Jews had known Jesus Christ as the man who opened the eyes of the blind and healed the sick – keeping them from dying. Mary and her sister knew the resurrection at the last day (verse 24). Lazarus was raised from the dead, Halleluiah! But it took this event for the two sisters to know that the resurrection was not just a future event. The Man that they had played host to, the Teacher, was actually the Resurrection personified.
Beloved, some of the ardent prayers you have made that seem not to have received any answers, may be the Lord’s own way of revealing something new about Himself to you as Comforter, the Companion of the lonely, etc. So, whatever you are passing through, prayerfully look through the veil of tears and you will see the message, in Jesus Name.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, when things go wrong and seem to make me think that You are far away, help me to remember that You love me so much as not to abandon me. Amen.
