Bible League: Living His Word “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”— John 11:40 NLT Jesus went to Bethany in order to heal His friend Lazarus. When He got there, He was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Martha, one of Lazarus’ sisters, said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again,” and He asked Martha if she believed Him. “Yes, Lord,” she told Him. When Jesus got to the tomb He said, “Roll the stone aside.” Martha, however, objected. She said, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” That’s when Jesus asked, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” (John 11:17-40). As was the case for Martha, Jesus has come to help with your situation. How do we know this? We know because Jesus is always coming to help. That’s why He came to earth in the first place. He said of Satan, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy,” but he said of himself, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). Jesus has come to help with your situation because He always comes to give His followers a rich and satisfying life. He always comes to turn our situations around for the better. Moreover, when He comes, He asks you the same question He asked Martha. He asks if you believe Him. He asks if you believe He has come to help. Then, Like Martha, you should say, “Yes, Lord.” After all, it’s our faith in Him that moves Him to help. It’s our faith in His promises that elicits His compassion. Further, if you believe, then don’t let any residual unbelief hinder Jesus from turning your situation around – like Martha did. There may be a stone that has to be rolled away before the Lord can help with the stinking situation that’s buried behind it. In other words, there may be something that needs to be taken out of the way before the Lord can help, even though you think it’s necessary. If so, then let the stone be rolled away. Let the Lord have His way. When Martha did, Jesus called forth Lazarus from the dead and God’s glory was made manifest. If you let your stone be rolled away, then you’ll see God’s glory made manifest in your situation as well. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading2 Chronicles 26, 27, 28 2 Chronicles 26 -- Uzziah Follows in Judah, Prospers, Undone by Pride NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 27 -- Jotham Succeeds Uzziah in Judah NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 28 -- Ahaz Follows Jotham in Judah, Compromises with Assyria NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading John 17 John 17 -- Jesus Prays for Himself, His Disciples and all Believers NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”Insight Some self-professed athletes can “talk” a great game, but that tells you nothing about their athletic skills. And not everyone who talks about heaven belongs to God's kingdom. Jesus is more concerned about our walk than our talk. He wants us to do right, not just say the right words. Challenge Your house (which represents your life) will withstand the storms of life only if you do what is right instead of just talking about it. What you do cannot be separated from what you believe. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Numbers 11:23 Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.God had made a positive promise to Moses that for the space of a whole month he would feed the vast host in the wilderness with flesh. Moses, being overtaken by a fit of unbelief, looks to the outward means, and is at a loss to know how the promise can be fulfilled. He looked to the creature instead of the Creator. But doth the Creator expect the creature to fulfil his promise for him? No; he who makes the promise ever fulfils it by his own unaided omnipotence. If he speaks, it is done--done by himself. His promises do not depend for their fulfilment upon the co-operation of the puny strength of man. We can at once perceive the mistake which Moses made. And yet how commonly we do the same! God has promised to supply our needs, and we look to the creature to do what God has promised to do; and then, because we perceive the creature to be weak and feeble, we indulge in unbelief. Why look we to that quarter at all? Will you look to the north pole to gather fruits ripened in the sun? Verily, you would act no more foolishly if ye did this than when you look to the weak for strength, and to the creature to do the Creator's work. Let us, then, put the question on the right footing. The ground of faith is not the sufficiency of the visible means for the performance of the promise, but the all-sufficiency of the invisible God, who will most surely do as he hath said. If after clearly seeing that the onus lies with the Lord and not with the creature, we dare to indulge in mistrust, the question of God comes home mightily to us: "Has the Lord's hand waxed short?" May it happen, too, in his mercy, that with the question there may flash upon our souls that blessed declaration, "Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not." Daily Light on the Daily Path Mark 2:8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?Romans 4:19,20 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; • yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, Mark 2:9 "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk '? Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, "'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Mark 4:40 And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? Matthew 16:8,9 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? • "Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
    |