John 11:23-27 -- Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, and He who comes into the world.”
Thank You Lord for guiding me, strengthening me, and walking with me through this daily adventure of life with You! All glory, all honor, all fame, every single moment of the past 365 days is Yours O' Lord! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Today marks one year since the Lord led me to start JesusCCC.com and share my daily quiet time along with art. It's been such a blessing to walk with Him on this journey. What started with sheer obedience became a joy-filled desire to spend time with the Lord. It became an amazing adventure to follow wherever He leads. He's changed much inside me for sure!
We saw in yesterday's verses Martha had expressed her frustration and faith in who Jesus is and he responds that her brother will rise from the dead. Today responds with one of His great "I AM" statements.
Here is what really jumped out, Martha hears Jesus, she knows He is the Son of God, but she still hears His words, "your brother will rise from the dead" in the sense of something distant and far away. She obviously believes Him as her next words are, "I know that he will rise". She got it, she believed it, but she filtered His words through her human understanding and circumstances.
Christian, how many times do you desperately try to work out what God says through your own understanding, circumstances, or perception?
It's extremely easy to read God's Word, see these powerful things, believe it, accept it, but then immediately want to know what we have to do to access it, or how it would work out in the current circumstances, etc…
Jesus' response back to Mary shines a bright light on things. He says to her belief filtered through her understanding, "I am the resurrection and the life". It wasn't some far off thing. It wasn't some religious ritual. It wasn't a checklist of items to complete to achieve this. Jesus IS the resurrection and the life. This drives everything back to relational, in Him, through Him, abiding in Him, He abiding in you. It's only in and through Jesus! Read proverbs 3:5-6 too.
I came across this in Guzik's commentary:
b. I am the resurrection and the life: Jesus did not claim to have resurrection and life, or understand secrets about resurrection and life. Instead Jesus dramatically said that He is the resurrection and the life. To know Jesus is to know resurrection and life; to have Jesus is to have resurrection and life.
i. “She looked upon the resurrection and the life as things that were to be in some dim and misty future. ‘No,’ says Christ, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Not only do I get these things by prayer from God, but I am these things.’” (Spurgeon)
ii. “Apart from Him there was neither resurrection nor life.” (Dods)
Beloved, is your "Christianity" something far away and lifeless? If so, why? If you don't know why, then start talking to the Lord today. Reach out to a Christian brother or sister you know who will talk with and pray over these things with you.
If you believe what Jesus says here in John 11:25, that He IS the resurrection and the life, then it's mighty important to make sure you're abiding in Him and His Word, and He is abiding in you. Read John 15 and all of 1 John. Good places to dive in and ask God to walk with You through them.
As always, be the Berean, don't take my word on anything, let God show you directly in the Bible.
You are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone.
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