I AM: Discovering the Nature of Jesus!

Sunday, March 21, 2004

My Prayer Today

Dear Jesus, I worship you this day. I thank you that you are the Son of God who heals, delivers, and even raises the dead! I want to give you the glory for everything that happens in my life. Lord, as you know, not everything has been easy, but through my difficult circumstances I ask that you would somehow be glorified in them. I know you are able to make something beautiful out of what is a big mess. Take my life and be glorified in it! I pray this in Your Name -- Amen.

God's Word Today

John 11:1-4

A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, the one you love is very sick." But when Jesus heard about it he said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God. I, the Son of God, will receive glory from this."

Reflecting on God's Word

According to Mary and Martha's message in verse 3, how did Jesus feel about Lazarus?

What did Jesus say when he heard the news that Lazarus' was sick? What does this mean?

According to Jesus in verse 4, what will he obtain through this circumstance?

A Deeper Exploration of God's Word

For what purpose does Jesus heal, deliver, and raise the dead?

Why does Jesus want the "glory" in this situation?

Does Jesus specify who he is in this passage? When?

Understanding God's Purpose

Does God want glory from the difficulties we face? How so?

How does God look at our problems? How does John 11:4 help in this understanding?

Is Jesus' glory linked to God the Father's glory? How?

Applying God's Word to Our Lives

What circumstances are you currently facing which seem very difficult, if not impossible?

What is one thing you can do in the midst of these circumstances to give God the glory?

Thoughts

All of us go through difficult circumstances at one time or another. Because we live in a "fallen" world, life can often be very painful. The effects of sin in this world has brought about so much devastation in every arena of our lives -- physically, emotionally, and spiritually, that we have never truly been able to know what life would be like without problems. In John chapter 11, the Bible records the story of a man named Lazarus who was sick. After his sisters sent word to Jesus about his condition, Jesus replied "Lazarus' sickness will not end in death. No it is for the GLORY OF GOD. I, the Son of God, will receive GLORY from this." Jesus was saying that even in the midst of sickness and death, I will receive glory from this.

Jesus desires to receive glory from every circumstance we face. God desires to take those difficulties and use them for His ultimate purposes -- thereby, receiving glory from them. God can take even the worst of circumstances, including the death of those we love, and use it for His own glory. The problem is that we as humans do not always see how God is doing this. We can only see, hear, and feel our temporal pain -- but God sees the beginning from the ending. He sees the big picture. What we must do is be able to trust God, that when we give to him our pain, He is able to both heal it, and use it to bring about greater glory to himself. Just as Jesus brought about glory through Lazarus' death and raising him, so He also desires to receive glory from us. He wants to raise us out of the 'miry clay' and set our feet on solid ground again. He is the "Resurrection and the Life" even in our pain.

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