Today’s Reading: Judges 16-18, Luke 7:1-30
Today’s Reflection: Luke 7:14b-15 …And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
When men call for action, we do so from among the living; when God calls for action, He does so from among the dead! Think about it. Christ came not for the righteous, but for sinners. They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick…or in this case, they who are dead!
Before Christ, we were DEAD in our trespasses and sins, that is, until Christ QUICKENED us, or in other words, made us alive (see Eph. 2:1). In like fashion, Christ, who is the resurrection and the life (see John 11:25), still brings forth life from that which is dead.
Are you dead in your sins? Christ can save you and raise you from the dead. Is your marriage dead? Christ, again, can raise it back up to life. What about your church, Pastor? Is it dead? Does it resemble the valley of dry bones Ezekiel dreamed about? If so, there is yet hope!
No matter the situation, whether it is your relationship, your ministry, your career, your health, your joy, your walk with God, whatever the case may be, if it is dead, Christ can bring it life again! In fact, He takes great joy in doing so. That’s what He lives for! That’s what He who is called The Resurrection and The Life DOES!
There is no corpse too cold, dry, or aged for Him to speak life into. We, who look at death as the fatal end, need only to take our dead corpse to the One who looks at death as the absolute best opportunity to shine His brightest.
When Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded, God rose up an exceeding great and mighty army out of a valley of very dry bones! When Sampson needed a weapon with which to fight the Philistines, God provided the jawbone of a donkey; and then brought forth life-sustaining water from the same jawbone. When Lazarus was dead four days, Christ called him forth out of the grave.
I’m telling you today, He is still calling forth life out of dead and seemingly hopeless situations. So, what makes the difference? It is when Jesus, who is also referred to as the Word, SPEAKS. When the Word speaks, dead and deaf ears open up to receive and respond.
Are you dead inside, void of any hope for your situation? LISTEN to God’s Spirit speak hope through His Word to you today. Jesus is saying to your corpse, “Arise.” Will you listen? Can you hear Him? One way you KNOW you are alive again is when you can hear Him speaking to you. And as long as you can hear Him speaking to you, then you know that there is HOPE! Then you KNOW that death lost!