Unwrapping the Supernatural Gifts
'When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet
bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said
to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11: 43-44 (ESV)
Forty years ago I heard the words of the Savior say to me 'Lazarus come out' and I responded to His message of hope and accepted Christ as my personal Savior. This is my own testimony of faith and I am so grateful for a friend that invited my mom and me to her church where we heard the gospel of peace and salvation preached. Having heard the spiritual call of redemption and not fully understanding the supernatural significance of what had just happened to me, I found myself weeping at the altar of forgiveness that day as Jesus breathed new life into me and I became a born again believer. He saved me. I am thankful that because He loves me and the work that He did for me on the cross at Calvary, by faith I can know Him and believe in Him and I can be assured that I am saved. He died for me. He redeemed me. He paid the price for my sin debt. My sins are forgiven. He set me free.
During this Holy Week I am reminded of the story of Lazarus. This Tuesday morning I am inspired by the Biblical stories and Holy Spirit's revelations to me that I have Kingdom work to do. This week I pray that Holy Spirit continue His good work in me to clean up my thoughts, words and deeds. I pray He continue the work of sanctification in me as He calls to me from another place and on another day to 'unbind him, and let him go'. I pray that Jesus continues to use me while He does the work that sets people free.
Saving people from their sins is what Jesus does every day. Unbinding and loosing people is what He asks me to do. He uses me, just like he did Mary and Martha two thousand years ago. I know that the sin debt of Adam and Eve was paid four thousand years later when He shed His blood and gave His life for sinners like me. A day to God is like a thousand years on Earth in the Kingdom, and for Lazarus, He was in the tomb for four days until His savior commanded that He 'come out'. People saw Jesus in His day as a healer, but this, resurrecting Lazarus, was supernatural! This was more than the work of a man. This was the work of God, so that men and women would see and would believe. Nothing is by chance with God, with Him, everything has purpose and significance.
It's not by chance, then, that my brothers and sisters are called to 'unwrap' me and that's what I intend to do for them as well. With a word of my own testimony, and just by sharing what He has done for me, and if it is God's time, some of them will believe me when I tell them that He is alive and that He is who He says He is. He will come and heal them. He will come to remove their disbelief. He will come and save them. He will unwrap them from their sins.
His Words give life and hope to the lost, the sick and the dying. He loves us. He does not condemn us. He leads us to not condemn one another, but to encourage. We are to be like Him in love, in love for one another. This love should lead us to unwrap one another with our songs of love and words of hope. His Words should become our words and as we speak we should hear Him speak and be loosed by the Blood of the Lamb and the words of our testimony. His Good Deeds and Actions should become our good deeds and actions so that we might see Jesus and choose to turn from our sins and return to the One True Love and His Word.
His Words encourage me to go a step further in my faith walk and do even more for others. My life should be Christ-like and His living example. His Freedom is my freedom. He has set me free. I want everything that He has for me as I make my choices known and as I choose to live for Him. Let my life be for Him as He directs me to unwrap the Supernatural gifts that sustain me and renew and give me new life in Him! Lazarus! Come forth!
Forty years ago I heard the words of the Savior say to me 'Lazarus come out' and I responded to His message of hope and accepted Christ as my personal Savior. This is my own testimony of faith and I am so grateful for a friend that invited my mom and me to her church where we heard the gospel of peace and salvation preached. Having heard the spiritual call of redemption and not fully understanding the supernatural significance of what had just happened to me, I found myself weeping at the altar of forgiveness that day as Jesus breathed new life into me and I became a born again believer. He saved me. I am thankful that because He loves me and the work that He did for me on the cross at Calvary, by faith I can know Him and believe in Him and I can be assured that I am saved. He died for me. He redeemed me. He paid the price for my sin debt. My sins are forgiven. He set me free.
During this Holy Week I am reminded of the story of Lazarus. This Tuesday morning I am inspired by the Biblical stories and Holy Spirit's revelations to me that I have Kingdom work to do. This week I pray that Holy Spirit continue His good work in me to clean up my thoughts, words and deeds. I pray He continue the work of sanctification in me as He calls to me from another place and on another day to 'unbind him, and let him go'. I pray that Jesus continues to use me while He does the work that sets people free.
Saving people from their sins is what Jesus does every day. Unbinding and loosing people is what He asks me to do. He uses me, just like he did Mary and Martha two thousand years ago. I know that the sin debt of Adam and Eve was paid four thousand years later when He shed His blood and gave His life for sinners like me. A day to God is like a thousand years on Earth in the Kingdom, and for Lazarus, He was in the tomb for four days until His savior commanded that He 'come out'. People saw Jesus in His day as a healer, but this, resurrecting Lazarus, was supernatural! This was more than the work of a man. This was the work of God, so that men and women would see and would believe. Nothing is by chance with God, with Him, everything has purpose and significance.
It's not by chance, then, that my brothers and sisters are called to 'unwrap' me and that's what I intend to do for them as well. With a word of my own testimony, and just by sharing what He has done for me, and if it is God's time, some of them will believe me when I tell them that He is alive and that He is who He says He is. He will come and heal them. He will come to remove their disbelief. He will come and save them. He will unwrap them from their sins.
His Words give life and hope to the lost, the sick and the dying. He loves us. He does not condemn us. He leads us to not condemn one another, but to encourage. We are to be like Him in love, in love for one another. This love should lead us to unwrap one another with our songs of love and words of hope. His Words should become our words and as we speak we should hear Him speak and be loosed by the Blood of the Lamb and the words of our testimony. His Good Deeds and Actions should become our good deeds and actions so that we might see Jesus and choose to turn from our sins and return to the One True Love and His Word.
His Words encourage me to go a step further in my faith walk and do even more for others. My life should be Christ-like and His living example. His Freedom is my freedom. He has set me free. I want everything that He has for me as I make my choices known and as I choose to live for Him. Let my life be for Him as He directs me to unwrap the Supernatural gifts that sustain me and renew and give me new life in Him! Lazarus! Come forth!
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