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Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live' (John 11;25)
It's been the question of the ages: Is there life after death; and how can I be a part of everlasting life? We saw a rich young ruler come to ask Jesus how he could "inherit" it only to find himself turned away by the huge demands Jesus made of him above the Commandments. One political party within Judaism dedicated themselves to advocating their point of view that there was no life beyond this life and any hope of living would come only in the memory of those who cared for you. A modern day comedian was talking seriously about faith and his lack thereof and he says he is still searching for answers and believes he subscribes to Norwegian Lutherans, or one who told him that they just believe in death being the final thing; your death brings you to nothingness. Buddhists thought a nothingness after a good life was the desired Nirvana which replaced repeated life cycles of reincarnation until you finally get it right. Jesus, on His way to the grave of His good friend Lazarus finds Lazarus' two sister grieving his death. And to one, Jesus shares this foundation of faith: I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will."
Good day, dear Friend; this is the BONUS of our devotionals for the week; you will remember that I am sharing each of the "I am" statements made by our Lord in the Book of John. We started with "I am the bread of life," followed by the second, "I am the light of the world." The third is "I am the door of the sheep." Last week we looked at Jesus' "I am the Good Shepherd," and today's "I am the resurrection and the life." We notice that Jesus says He is THE resurrection. Outside of Jesus there is no resurrection, as well as noticing that Jesus says He is THE life; precisely the same thing could be said about life. We may find existence, or a going-through-the-motions routine of life, but true living is found in Jesus. After Jesus shared this statement with Martha, Jesus goes and raises Lazarus from the dead. He had earlier told His disciples that L was only sleeping, but then had to clearly clarify that L was dead and this would be for God's glory.
Our faith as Christians is solidly grounded in resurrection. It is the true birthday of the Christian Church to celebrate that event on Easter Sunday. Our whole Lenten Journey is to remind us of God's great love, Jesus' great sacrifice, and the events that proved that to us. His death on the cross was defeated by the event on Easter morning. Our cross is empty because of that; Jesus rose from the dead! What we should also note is that we too, through our faith in Jesus Christ, will face death, but we will rise again through Him. Our God is a God of the living, not the dead; and life in Christ never ends.
PRAYER: Living God, pour out Your Holy Spirit over our doubts and fears. May the promises of Jesus defeat the doubts we may have about our own deaths. Let the light of Christ defeat the darkness of fear; and may we live as those who have been more than conquerors over the challenges of life through Jesus Christ. Please this dear reader and all they may be going through; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! May the brilliance of our faces show the enemy He is defeated, and we are victorious!
Eradio Valverde
PRAYER REQUESTS: This morning is our granddaughter Eliana Garcia's surgical procedure. Please keep her in your prayers. At this writing she and her dad were headed to the dental office. Prayers of safe travel for Eric, Sarai, and Sarita Cortez as they travel from Austin to Orlando (in this weather!). Prayers for all who have to be out in this cold, rainy weather, especially those with no home and out on the streets. Prayers for Ludene Poe. I visited with her yesterday and she's almost over all she has had during this flu season. Prayers for one another. May the Lord bless you and keep you dear one is my prayer!
