September 25, 2024 Devo

September 25th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
The Story of Lazarus (John 11)
And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” – John 11:44 (NLT)
“Get Rid of the Grave Clothes”

Isn’t it funny how we often love to hold onto old clothes, long after they’ve served their usefulness? Sweatshirts that are stained and torn. Shoes that are scuffed and worn beyond recognition. Hats that are, well, just HIDEOUS! Why do we do it? Sometimes because they have special meaning. They remind us of a place or time in our lives that we want to hold onto. But mostly it’s because the clothes are comfortable. It simply takes time to break in new clothes.
But some of the “old clothes” we hang onto aren’t funny. They are some of the ways we used to act. They are some of the ways we used to talk. They are some of the attitudes we used to have. Even though we’ve come to Christ, confessed our sins, accepted His Grace, and been proclaimed New Creations in Christ, the transforming work isn’t done. We’re still wrapped in some of the garments we wore when we were dead in our sins.
The visual of Lazarus should help us. Here’s a man who has just been resurrected from the dead. He steps out of the tomb and into the sunlight of a New Day, a New Beginning, a New Life. This man, who people KNEW was dead, now is filled with life right in front of their eyes, but still wrapped with the cloths of the dead. And what does Jesus say? “Unwrap him and let him go!” Can you imagine Lazarus saying, “No! I’ve just got these rags broken in! Sure, they stink. Sure, they’re dirty. Sure, they’re unsightly and raggedy and filled with holes. But they’re COMFORTABLE!” The people would have laughed Lazarus right back into the tomb. Dead people wear grave clothes, not the living.
What grave clothes are YOU still wearing? Isn’t it time to put on the clothes of the living? Trade in that filthy language. Get rid of those stinking attitudes. Shed those garments of sin for the beautiful garments of the Righteousness of Christ. You’re not dead anymore. You don’t live in a tomb anymore. Those old ways of behaving, speaking, and thinking are not who you desire to be. Leave them in the tomb of your past. Get rid of the grave clothes and step into the New Wardrobe tailored by the Spirit of God. A new life deserves new clothes! That’s God’s Word for you today.