Tag: Life

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study
Posted on by

Lazarus Come Out

Today’s Reading: John 11:1-44

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” 27 “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.” 

John 11:25-27
I AM

Our passage today introduces the fifth of Jesus’ “I Am” Statements when He tells Martha: I Am the resurrection and the life. He went on to explain that “The one who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in Me will never die.” I love that when asked, Martha affirms her belief by addressing Jesus as “Lord” and making a clear statement of exactly who Jesus is and where He has come from.

Jesus Wept

They were having this conversation because Martha’s brother, Lazarus, had been sick and died. Lazarus was Jesus’ friend and it is clear as the story unfolds just how special Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were to Jesus. Not only do we read how He was greatly distressed at their grief and even wept. Yet, even in His weeping there was division, for while some saw it as a testimony of His deep love for Lazarus others viewed it as a lack of action on Jesus’ part and once again His power and character were brought into question. When He heard them raise the question, “Couldn’t He have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?” the Scripture says He was intensely moved again.

At the Tomb

Being intensely moved – Jesus went to the tomb and said, “Take away the stone.” – Then looking upward, He thanked the Father for listening to Him and expressed His desire for the people that were watching to believe that God had sent Him – and then – “Jesus shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” – and Lazarus came out and at Jesus’ command he was unwrapped from the burial clothes and let go. Ah, the power of our God and of our Savior.

God’s Glory

Just as Jesus had said, in the beginning of this story (John 11: 1-15), Lazarus’ sickness led not to His death but to God’s glory. Surely the Son of God was glorified through it as the people watched in wonder, not only the incredible evidence of Mary and Martha’s real and present pain in their loss but also the faith that they exhibited, and of course the resurrection and the life of Lazarus by the One who had declared Himself to be – “The Resurrection and the Life.”

So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.” When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not lead to death but to God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

John 11:3-4
Some Helpful Behind the Scene Commentary
Chapter Summary
Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.   BibleRef.com @ John chapter 11

Posted in God is good

Jesus, Light of the World

Posted on by

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:12

Father, You are Good. As James says, You are the giver of every perfect gift, James 1:17. You are the giver of the gift of LIGHT and LIFE to You be the glory. For in your goodness You have given us The Light that shines in the darkness. Light that leads to life according to John 8:12. Light that frees us to follow Jesus out of the darkness. It frees us to to be the light to the darkness around us, to love like He loves, to be kind and tenderhearted, forgiving others as You, in Your goodness, have forgiven us. It is a light, the only TRUE SOURCE OF LIGHT, that shines through us and leads others to You.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Thank You for the ‘gift of Light’ that has led me to Life in Jesus Christ, and for the joy that comes from both. Joy that comes from not walking in the darkness but in the glorious light, and in the joy that comes from ‘life in Christ’, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Posted in From the Insideout

Your Love is Better Than Life

Posted on by


Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!

During a time David spent in the wilderness he wrote that God’s love is unfailing and better than life! With those two declarations He was moved to praise Him.

I remember the first time I read this verse, or actually heard it read during a Sunday night service – shortly after I had lost a baby and nearly my life through a ruptured tubal pregnancy. The words were like a soothing balm then and continue to be a calming source of comfort and joy every time I read or hear them.

I hope they are a blessing to you as well – as you picture His love flowing deep and wide all around you – whether life is filled with joys or full of heartache and despair – God’s love never fails and it truly is better than life itself! You’ll find the whole passage below to give you a fuller picture of David’s thoughts (and mine that first time I heard them) –

O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in Your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise You with songs of joy.  I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night. Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. I cling to You; Your strong right hand holds me securely.

Psalm 63:1-8 (NLT)

Whether I am in a “wilderness experience” or rejoicing on a mountain-top I have learned – it is good to stop and remember the height and depth, and length and width of God’s love and give Him praise!

Me from the Insideout –
Posted in From the Insideout

Grace is Greater than Sin

Posted on by

S.O.A.P.ing the Scriptures has become my preferred way, and now habit, of studying God’s Word. I find that it not only enhances my time with Him but leads me to a greater understanding of the specific passage and of who He is. However, I have found that, as with any habit, it can sometimes become a rote routine rather than a time of truly looking intently into the Word of God.

Have you ever played the game where you are shown an array of items and asked to remember what is there? You are given just a certain amount of time to study what you see and then asked to list as many items as you can after they have been taken away from your sight. Perhaps if there are very few items a quick glance might be all that you need, but most often the game includes a vast array of items all piled together and you need to study rather than glance. As I S.O.A.P.ed today’s Scripture, Romans 5:15, I was reminded me of two things – one, that game – and two, I needed to slow down and really look at the passage before me.

A quick glance achieved restating the verse as best as I could under the ‘Observation’ section of the journal. There’s nothing really wrong with that, I’ve done it before and it’s worked. However, this time I noticed when it came to the ‘Application’ section of the journal page I struggled with what to write. The long and short of what I realized is this morning I hadn’t really been looking carefully and attentively into God’s Word, I had merely glanced. Perhaps out of familiarity with the passage or maybe out of rote habit, the reason isn’t important but the realization is. In this situation, it meant the difference in being able to apply God’s Word to my life or not, and that just wasn’t acceptable. So, I went back for another look. As with the game mentioned earlier, when the tray of items – or in this case – God’s Word was was looked at again, I was able to see what I had missed the first time.

This time my attentive observation yielded the treasure that the gift of grace, life through faith in Jesus Christ, is greater than the death that Adam’s sin brought upon all mankind. With this knowledge came the much clearer application that LIFE in Christ is better (greater, more desirable) than a life of sin. In other words, while the pleasure of sin may seem or feel more desirable the gift of life received through faith in Jesus is the more lasting (ETERNAL) pleasure. This prompted the visual: Grace>sin and with that visual came the real nugget of gold … Christ’s blood covers my sin with all of its guilt and shame! Yes, I already knew this TRUTH, but now I’m armed with it – fresh ammunition – so to speak. Should some temptation come my way or Satan’s fiery darts include guilt and shame I will be ready to stand firm!

As the application became clear the words from an old hymn started running through my mind. I’ve included them below. They are simple but profound and shared with the hope that they will be a blessing to all who read them.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, yonder on Calvary’s mount out-poured there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt. * Dark is the stain that we cannot hide. What can avail to wash it away? Look! There is flowing a crimson tide, whiter than snow you may be today. * Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace – freely bestowed on all who believe – you that are longing to see His face, will you this moment His grace receive? (*refrain) Grace, grace, God’s grace – grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God’s grace – grace that is greater than all our sin.

Posted in Quiet Time
Posted on by

Today’s Scripture: Romans 5:12-21 (S.O.A.P. Romans 5:15)

Question of the Day: Which is greater: the gift of grace or penalty of sin?

So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people[a] because[b] all sinned— 13 for before the law was given,[c] sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin[d] when there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type[e] of the coming one) transgressed.[f] 15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression.[g] For if the many died through the transgression of the one man,[h] how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned.[i] For judgment, resulting from the one transgression,[j] led to condemnation, but[k] the gracious gift from the many failures[l] led to justification. 17 For if, by the transgression of the one man,[m] death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently,[n] just as condemnation[o] for all people[p] came[q] through one transgression,[r] so too through the one righteous act[s] came righteousness leading to life[t] for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man[u] many[v] were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of one man[w] many[x] will be constituted righteous. 20 Now the law came in[y] so that the transgression[z] may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

After Thoughts