September 22, 2024 Devo

September 22nd, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
The Story of Lazarus (John 11)
“Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. – John 11:39-41 (NLT)
“Roll the Stone Away”

A few years ago, I hired a new Youth Pastor. A large part of his duties was to be the primary speaker for our weekly youth service. I knew that this young man was energetic and relational, but I wasn’t sure of his abilities as a speaker. I asked him to video himself speaking, so he and I could review it together and critique it. For three straight weeks I asked him about the video. Each week he had an excuse as to why it didn’t get done. Finally, I said to him, “You really don’t want to do this video, do you?” He hung his head and said, “No.” I responded, “No worries. If you’re that afraid, you don’t have to do it.” He looked greatly relieved. Then I said, “But here’s the deal. You don’t get another paycheck until we watch a video of you speaking.” Like a miracle, we watched the video the following week! And it helped him greatly.
Jesus took Martha and Mary to the tomb where He was about to perform an AMAZING miracle. All they had to do was roll the stone away. This wasn’t just a request to do a task. It was a test of faith. A body decomposing in a tomb was not going to be a pretty sight OR smell. Did they believe Jesus enough to face embarrassment, ridicule, and fear? They had to do the hard thing for Jesus to work mightily in their lives.
What “stone” is blocking the work God wants to do in YOUR life? Is it fear, like my former Youth Pastor? Is it embarrassment, like Martha and Mary? Sometimes rolling the stone away means exposing the part of our lives that really stinks. But it’s what God asks in order to do His best work. For some of us, rolling the stone away may be admitting an area where we desperately need the help of God. For others, rolling the stone away may be seeking the help of a good friend, a trusted pastor, or a counselor. For still others, it may be confronting something that we’ve been avoiding for a long, long time. Healing can happen. Change can happen. Miracles can happen. And sometimes all we need to do is roll the stone away. God will do the rest. That’s God’s Word for you today.