Eternal life

Even Now

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“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” John 11:21-22 ESV

The Bible plainly tells us that Jesus loved Martha, and maybe one of the things Jesus loved so much about her was her outspoken way of saying everything that was in her heart. Whether she was complaining about her sister, inviting Jesus into her home, or sending for him in her time of need, Martha was always direct. I have so often heard of her failures and preoccupation with the duties of the pots and pans, yet there was also in her a unique ability to grow because she held nothing back.

In our own daily dealings with Jesus, it is often easier to pray in our religious way and do our religious duty, than to really tell God what is on our mind. So often we fail to grow in our faith because we are hiding behind what we feel is acceptable and we deny Jesus the chance to enter the conversation. But even now, if in complete honesty, we tell Him all our heart He can still do far more than we could ever imagine!

The Heavenly Price Tag

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I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels. Psalm 22:14 KJV

As a teenager I always remembered the Christmas presents I got from my stepmother Amy, because when she bought me beautiful and expensive clothes, she always left the price tag on! Now, it was not that Amy was bothered by spending the money, but she wanted to be sure that I treated her gifts with special care! In some ways God is a lot like Amy because He loves lavishing us with His grace, but He also wants us to know its cost. When we are singing about our salvation, home in Heaven or the forgiveness of our sins we should humbly remember the price of those gifts.

When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said that His soul was sorrowful unto death, and He agonized in prayer in order to accept the suffering of the cross that lay ahead. He begged His Father asking if there were any other way and then sweat ran down His face like great drops of blood. Then just hours after Jesus had finished praying, His hands and feet were nailed to the cross. The Bible tells us that He was poured out like water. Finally, a long spear pierced His side and then the last drops of HIs blood flowed down the cross to the ground. So, today when we bow our heads to thank God for any of His blessings, we should also look again at the price tag that is still attached. Though Jesus gave Himself freely for our salvation, we will treat His gift with greater loving care, when we are reminded of the astronomically high price that He paid for us!

The Cross is Enough

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Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25 ESV

When Jesus rose from the dead, things were confusing, and the world seemed to turn upside down, but everybody knew one thing for sure – The tomb was empty! When the men guarding the tomb saw an angel, they passed out cold! Later, that morning when the women came, they saw that the was stone rolled away and they ran as fast as they could to tell the disciples! By the time Peter and John arrived, all they could find was the empty burial cloths. Can you imagine what kind of questions filled their minds? Finally, the answer came as Mary Magdalene stood weeping outside the tomb, Jesus came close to talk with her, and He wants to talk with you and me today.

Just as all of these people found something far better than what they were looking for: God wants you to find that same something today. He knew that we needed hard evidence because the grip of past failures in our lives could only be broken by a victory stronger than any failure or sin. That something is our resurrected Lord! His life is proof positive that God forgives our guilt, and His resurrection tells us that the cross was enough to wash away our sins. No matter who we are, there is good news, because all the selfish choices of our past have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, not just for us to celebrate on Easter, but so that every day, when we face our failures, we can remember that the cross was enough. The empty tomb is proof positive God has forgiven and set us free to serve Him forever!