Seeing Jesus in the Crisis

Thinking on John 12:9-11, 17-19 in light of this past week.

The crowds gathered.  Rumors had it that someone, a guy named Lazarus, had been raised from the dead!  In the crowd were those whom had prepared him for burial, those whom carried this body to the tomb, those whom had rolled the rock into the opening of the grave, those whom had paid to mourned his death.  And he was actually alive?  You have got to be kidding!

Jesus came at Mary and Martha's request, not to heal Lazarus as asked, but to demonstrate that the day of the Kingdom of God was at hand.  Lazarus was to be exhibit A as to the power of God and the truth of Jesus.

1 Peter 2:9, we as Christians are a chosen people, a priesthood, we belong to God!
We exist to serve God and His purposes, not the other way around!

Do not drift from your faith!

How could anyone argue Lazarus' death and now new life?  Imagine the crowd, torn between joy, fascination, horror and shock!  Here was a dead man walking!  And the Rabbis equally were stunned.  How can you discredit or claim someone is of the devil when he just raised his friend from the dead?

Death had been conquered, Jesus had just shown the world that He had dominion, He was of God, His claims were true.

Critics will plague you your entire life - take heart, they can not keep you down or from your God assignment.

Beware, your life is never going to be neutral.

There is no witness protection program for Christians!  You have become the salt which adds flavoring to all around you.  You have become light, a witness for God, you will draw people to you!  (okay I skipped to 1st John there!)

Your life is permanently changed.
Your life is now a witness to the reality of the Real God.  And that would be for the good or bad.....
You life is suddenly a testimony to what God has done and can do.


You came to Jesus because you had a need: you stood in the way of what you needed to get to God.
Your accepting Jesus as the payment between mankind and God for our failure, changed your status.
Your willingness to be baptized and to become a follower, perhaps even a disciple, sets you a part.
Your life becomes your witness to a world lost in sin, not knowing where to look, observing if you are different.
And when bad times hit, how you react will either show that difference or that you are just like them.
So, let your life reflect Jesus and His love, in good times and bad.

And if you can, I know that God will lift you up from whatever is there to crush you.

*** so, as you have been reading, my life is now at a crossroads.  the past has been destroyed by my daughter.  the only salvation to my predicament would be for my daughter to show up in person and recant her tales.  but no that is not going to happen too soon, eventually, i do believe so, but not in time to save the shattered remains of my life.  my future is now unknown to me.  i only have faith, sharpened by a lifetime of seeing God's hand and knowing He is there to catch me in this free fall.  but he has blessed me with a kindred spirit to steady my feet as i step across to a whatever that new path is.  so with one old friend and one new friend there to help me restart life, we will see where things go.  maybe there is a book deal in this disaster..... ***