Letting Go of Resentment

All of us have had moments that were less than warm. People have spoken harshly to us or treated us with contempt. Many times, these actions come from the very people who claim to love us. Often others will hear our story of disappointment and simply say, “Just get over it.” That seems dismissive and belittling.

I mean, how do I get over a non-loving father or a mother who constantly compares me to other parents, suggesting I’m not a good parent. How do I move forward with a spouse who is a bully or a close friend’s betrayal. How do I get over a spouse who cheated and ignored our marriage vows? You just don’t “get over” these things. So, how do I move forward and find contentment and joy again?

First, you need to identify “it”, it being that thing that you are struggling with. Some of us have a collection of its and most of us can identify that very time, place and person that did us wrong. It can be painful to remember but necessary if you want to get to a healthier place. The Apostle Paul says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32). So, we have to discover that thing that we are holding on to before we can even start forgiving.

Sometimes, we think to repress those hurtful things. But things that are repressed have a high rate of resurrection. So how do I know I’m stuffing things way down? There are a couple of red flags. One is you become angry over little things. You are enraged at traffic, red lights, waiting on the train, your kid spilling a drink at the dinner table.

Another flag might be you’re very defensive and over-sensitive. If anyone approaches you about your behavior and angry, you erupt and act as if everything is okay.

Sometimes, we rehearse the story of how we were hurt and by whom. You play it over and over in your head, even while laying in your bed at night. But Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:27, “don’t let Satan a foot hold.” Any negative emotion gives away a little piece of your heart, a heart that actually belongs to Jesus.

So what do we do to get to a healthier place? We need to release the wrong doing to God. And that sounds simplistic. Biblically, that’s how we overcome when we’ve been wronged. Releasing it to God doesn’t minimize what’s been done to you. What you are actually sayings is, “God, this is so significant…so heavy, I need you to take it. I can’t carry this anymore. I know you know more than me so I’m trusting that you’ll have my back.” That’s when healing begins…when you let go of resentment and give everything to God.

The world will call you crazy when you act like Jesus but the new way of living will pay off. Don’t wait or hold back. Adopt a new, joy-filled way of living. On the other side is a beautiful marriage, kids that want to hang out with you, friends who want to be in your space, freedom and a good night’s sleep. Blessings on the journey.

Praying through Trouble

Almost all of us have been in trouble. Many of us have been in a spot where we didn’t want to be and asked God to intervene. So it was with Jonah, the prophet of God in Jonah 2.

Jonah had made the decision he didn’t want to do what God called him to do so he ran away. Once the sailors on the boat where Jonah had hidden realized the storm they were enduring was because of Jonah, they began to question Jonah.

Like the sailors, so many of us have been in a storm. We would have never chosen to be going through the thing we are enduring in the moment. We didn’t want to be questioning our faith and the reality of God in our life. We never dreamed our marriage would have turned impassionate. We never thought we would be jobless. Or fighting some chronic illness. We would never have dreamed our adult children would have turned away from Jesus and are now making poor life choices.

Jonah would have never thought he’d be in the belly of a huge fish. It was not punishment but provision from God. Jonah would have rather wanted something else but we recognize, God doesn’t always give us what we want. He certainly gives us what we need.

In Jonah 2, Jonah begins to pray to God for deliverance. He remembered he needed the Lord. Jonah put his hope in his Heavenly Father. Unfortunately sometimes, we put our hope in other things like the stock market, our bank account, our spouse, our intellect or university degrees or someone we follow on our social media account. But many of us have realized nothing will help us or save us except the Lord God Almighty.

So Jonah prays. James, the half-brother of Jesus, says in James 5:13, “If any of you are in trouble, you should pray.” And that could not ring truer. We are called to interact with our Heavenly Father on a regular basis through prayer. In Jonah 2:2-9, Jonah lifts his voice to God but we discover nothing happens until the end of chapter two. This is a huge encouragement to you and me because I get frustrated with God’s timing. But he is always telling me the He knows better…just be patient.

So, Jonah is praying on day 1. Then he’s praying on day 2. Finally he keeps praying on day 3. And someone reading this needs to realize this truth. While you’re waiting, God is still working. Just because you don’t see anything doesn’t mean God isn’t still on his throne.

Jonah 2:9 is a great reminder as well. Jonah prays, “My salvation comes from the LORD.” That is spot on for all of us, isn’t it? Jonah was running from God. He didn’t deserve saving but God saved him. When we didn’t deserve it, God sent his Son, Jesus, to be with us and die for us. We all need the grace of God in our lives. We all need Jesus to remove our sin, our disgrace, our “running away” spirit. We need Jesus to take on our guilt and shame and so that we can live triumphantly in the unconditional love of our God.

So pray and keep praying that God will do wonders in your life as you make a daily decision to follow Jesus. Blessings on your journey.

Forgive as We Have Been Forgiven

Forgiveness is important to our health in every way you can imagine. Each of us wants forgiveness for the poor choices we make or the missteps that lead to relational difficulty. When it comes to forgiveness, God’s Word teaches us about two realities.

First, sin separates us from God so we need to be forgiven. Sin means to miss the mark. It’s to fall short of God’s expectations as we follow his Son, Jesus. We sin when we behave in ways that are opposite from how God has called us to live or when we choose not to do something that God expects of us. No matter how you slice it, sin leaves us in debt to a holy God.

But on the cross, Jesus says, “It is finished.” Jesus was telling creation that through his death, he created a way to have our debt paid in full. So through belief in Jesus, we have the ability to be forgiven of our wrong doing and thus be made right with God.

Forgiveness means to wipe the slate clean, to pardon, to cancel a debt. And Jesus offers that clean slate to anyone who will call upon him. Unfortunately, when we sin, we are saying that my kingdom is more important than the kingdom of Jesus. Jesus encourages us to let go of our kingdom and embrace the Kingdom of God.

But sin can also separate us from others so we need to forgive them. If we wish to have relational harmony with God, then we must forgive those who have offended or hurt us. Charles Spurgeon, a preacher in the mid-1800s says it like this, “Go to Calvary to learn how you may be forgiven and then linger there to learn how to forgive others.”

See, forgiving is the act of setting someone free. We all want to be forgiven for our poor choices but we become very particular when someone is wanting our forgiveness. We set up qualifiers: if they ask me or if they repent or as time passes or when they make good on the issue. As kingdom people, Jesus wants to clarify in Matthew 6:14-15 what is expected of us. He challenges us with his words, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

It’s a sobering warning…if we don’t forgive, God will not forgive us. Our ability to forgive those who hurt us is a witness to how much God’s love has penetrated us. If we can’t be forgivers, chances are, we haven’t encountered the love of Jesus in real and authentic ways.

Now, I know some of us have been hurt deeply. There is sin that has drastically changed your family or marred your own life. Maybe a drunk driver took away someone you deeply loved. It’s possible a trusted church leader took advantage of you at a young age. Maybe you grew up with parents who consistently said hurtful words to you or you continue to hear slurs about your ethnicity. These are examples of hurt that runs deep. But understand, forgiveness is a process…some things take longer than others to work through. So, as a kingdom person, would you be willing to start the process? Who will you set free today? Who will you release?

Here’s the shocking truth: when you forgive and set someone free, you end up freeing yourself as well. It’s in that moment you realize that you had the key to your prison the whole time. So I challenge you to consider that people in your life who have hurt you. Have you forgiven them? Is there someone you need to approach for reconciliation? As you work through the process of forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will give you the power and strength to release them and you from the prison of relational discord. Blessings on the journey.

Prodigal Father

Yesterday was Father’s Day and many of us called our dad or had lunch with him or at least sent a card to him with a Home Depot gift card in it. All of us have a father.

Yesterday was also Sunday when believers gather in one place to worship our Heavenly Father and thank Him for all He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus entire ministry was working to tell the world how incredible that Father truly is. Jesus’ whole life was spent pointing people to the Father. So it’s no surprise Jesus shows us how full of grace and unconditional love our Father is as Jesus tells stories in Luke 15.

While the Pharisees are upset that it appears Jesus is condoning sin by eating with sinners and tax collectors, Jesus reminds us our Heavenly Father is too busy rejoicing over found coins, found sheep and found kids to worry about what they were doing while they were lost.

See, Jesus tells the story of young son who wanted his inheritance from his dad before the dad died. Amazingly, the dad grants his half to him and the son goes away to the big city where he blows his entire bank account on worldly living. Sleeping in the day and partying at night with conditional friends who love the son as long as there is money. After weeks of the party life, spending money on drinking, drugs and women, the money runs out and then the friends do as well. In addition, there is a famine in the land.

So with no money and no friends; no place to stay and nothing to his name, the young son finds a job at a pig farm, slopping the hogs. Every day, he’s in the pig pen, in the mud, in the feces, in the stink and longing to eat what the pigs are eating. Until one day, he comes to his senses. He says, “I can go home and just ask dad if I can be a servant. Even the servants have food to eat.” So he begins the long walk of shame home.

But we discover the dad has been watching for his son every day. And one day, he sees his son in the distance so the dad runs down the road to meet him. While the son is trying to get the words out about being a servant, the dad says, “Bring a new robe, the family ring, new sandals and start cooking. Welcome home, my son.”

Now while Jesus reveals how wonderful it could be for prodigals to come home, it’s disturbing. Because most of us want our pound of flesh. Most of us want the sinner to come home but groveling on their knees, not to a party. And the young son has spent his half of the inheritance so he’s coming home to live off his brother’s half.

Big brother comes home to find the party and is irrate! “I’ve been here working the whole time and you never threw a party for me,” he says. And in the moment, dad realizes he’s lost both sons, one to a life of reckless abandonment and another to angry self-righteousness.

See, what the older son doesn’t realize is that dad does love them both but not because of what they deserve. He loves them both because that’s just who he is. See this father is a prodigal too who never tires of giving his love away.

We all are so blessed to have a Father who loves us unconditionally. When you decide to come home, he doesn’t remember what you’ve done but just loves on you. So if you are looking for peace in your life…if you are looking for a father to hold you close unconditionally…if you are looking for permission to leave behind the shame and guilt of your past mistakes, then say “yes” to Jesus and come home. Making Jesus Lord of your life will allow you to drop the baggage and embrace a totally new and wonderful life. Blessings on your journey.

Learning to Forgive.

You and I have had moments when we were hurt and betrayed. We have had moments when we were vulnerable and had our heart stepped on. We’ve had moments when we wanted to hide in a corner because of how someone treated us. So in these moments, how do we move forward?

Well, there are some characteristics we will develop if we do not forgive and move forward. These are not the type of people we want to be or want to be around so measure if any of these ring true for you in your relationships.

When we get hurt one of the first things we do is create distance. When we choose not to offer forgiveness, we create space in our relationship. We end up shutting people out. We don’t call them, text them or interact on social media. If not careful, we can become numb to the needs of the people we love.

If we do not deal with the distance, we build walls. We don’t want to hurt anymore so we build walls to block the pain. Walls do keep the negative people out. The issue is, we also keep the positive people out of our life as well. We become so protective we loose the opportunity to build life-giving relationships.

If we leave the walls in place, it moves to a place of escalation. The smallest offense becomes something so grand, it seems impossible to overcome. We end up saying things we don’t really mean.

Ultimately, we reach a place of hostility toward the one who hurt us. We begin to go out of our way to make sure the “enemy” is as hurt as we are. But Paul tells us to act differently in Ephesians 4:31-32. He reminds us to get rid of all anger and rage and forgive others just like Jesus forgave us. If we are to become more like Jesus, it requires us to forgive others who have hurt us and move forward into a more positive place.

We all want a blessed life. Jesus told us if you want a blessed life then be a peace maker. A peace maker is a forgiver (Matthew 5:9). So what should I do if I want a blessed life?

Receive God’s forgiveness. Think about all the things in your own life that would keep you from Jesus and a blessed life. Aren’t you glad for God’s forgiveness? I am! How do I get that? By saying “yes” to Jesus. He gave his life for you and it’s through Jesus’ sacrifice that we find the peace and life we so desperately want.

Secondly, give what you have received. Healed people offer healing and forgiven people forgive people. Now remember that forgiveness doesn’t equal trust. When people hurt you, boundaries may be needed. Trust must be earned again. But start the process by offering forgiveness.

Finally, go first. I always say the most spiritually mature person will go first to listen, say “I’m sorry”, make reparations, and be compassionate. It will take faith on your part to move first but with the power of Jesus, you can do it. After all, Jesus went first in your relationship with him, right? Paul tells us in Romans 5:8 that while you were a sinner, Jesus died for you. He went first. So imitate him.

Look, it’s not easy forgiving those who hurt you but with the power of Jesus, you can (Ephesians 4:32). Forgiving is a powerful remedy to bring healing, peace and positivity to your life. Through the power of the Spirit, you can have all of it. Blessings on your journey.

Prodigal Father.

Now you have either been a son or a daughter. I bet if truth be told, you were not an angel. I know I was not. I butted heads with my dad on more than one occasion growing up. When I was 18, I left home and never looked back. I was young, naive, and selfish and I made multiple poor decisions in my early 20s.

Jesus tells a story that begins, “There was a man who had two sons…” in Luke 15. It’s the story of a young son who wants his half of the family inheritance BEFORE his dad dies. So, when he asks for it, the dad concedes and gives it to him. The story goes on to tell of wild nights in bigger and distant cities where all the money was spent to buy friends, prostitutes, drugs, alcohol…it was pure Las Vegas on steroids.

Eventually, the young son ran out of money and of course, his so called friends left him for better things. With no money and now a shortage of food, the young son convinced a farmer to let him feed the pigs to earn a meager wage. Hebrews cannot touch pigs. They are unclean and one would be defiled to come in contact with those animals. The young son has hit rock bottom. No money, no friends, no food, defiled and unclean…But he remembers the servants in his dad’s house have more than enough food. So he determines to go home.

He thinks, “At home, even dad’s servants have a place to sleep and something to eat. I’ll go, recognizing I can no longer be called his son because of my stupidity, and ask dad if I can just be a servant.” So, he begins the long journey home.

But the father has been watching for months and months for his son. Finally, in the distance, the father sees his son and leaps from his porch to run down the road and hold his son. Their is no time for confession…no promise of different future behavior. Before the son can say he’s sorry, the father hugs him, kisses him, puts his own robe on him, a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Let the party begin!

Jesus reminds us in this story that the love of God both violates and fulfills our sense of forgiveness. It is a two-edged sword. When we are in the wrong, we want and may feel we deserve the forgiveness. But when we have been wronged, it takes a little more time to offer that forgiveness. Yet we see from the father what true love looks like.

The young son has been a prodigal…giving away all of his money, his time, himself to the world around him. The father is a prodigal too, who never tires of giving away his love for wayward children who have come home.

He’s waiting for you to come back as well. He’s watching for you to make the decision to be embraced by a love that’s deeper than the ocean. He’s waiting to give you that robe, ring and new shoes but you have to make the decision to come home. May the overwhelming love of the Father cause you to remember what’s at home. May you make the decision to embrace the wonderful life you can have by coming home. Blessings on the journey.

Life is Good.

Have you ever watched any animal planet shows about raccoons? They are nocturnal creatures and very curious by nature. And they love shiny things. To catch a raccoon, put something shiny in a container with an opening just big enough to put their hand through. When they see it, they will reach in and grab hold of the item only now they can’t get their hand out of the hole. They will not let go of the shiny item. The key to their freedom is letting go but they refuse.

As humans, we are the same way. We take hold of pride, self-centeredness, egoism, and a life about “me” and we will not let go of that life. Paul knows that about us and address how we conquer that mindset and live more like Jesus. As he writes the church in Colossae, Paul tells them and us today what we need to do for a more Christ-like life in Colossians 3:12-15.

Paul starts by saying that everyday, we need to wear tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. If we decide everyday to put these five things on before we leave home, we’ll look just like Jesus.

You and I decide what shirt, pants and shoes to wear everyday before we leave the house. And Paul wants us to realize that if we believe Jesus is who he said he was (Colossians 1), and we do what Jesus wants us to do (Colossians 2), then we’ll live like Colossians 3.

I challenge you to post a note with those five things on it on your bathroom mirror or car dash to be reminded of how we are called to live everyday, living for Jesus’ glory and honor.

Paul also reminds us that we have been forgiven of our wrongdoing by God so we too must forgive others. We are currently a very offended people. We live currently in the so called, “Cancel culture”. Everything is changing and being cancelled because we are offended by it.

As a follower of Jesus, we must forgive and not hang on to the things people say and do to us that might make us feel bad. So many of us raise our hands in worship and when we do, God only sees the offense we are holding on to. God can’t put more blessings in your hands when they are full of other things.

Each of us want peace in our life. Paul tells us in verse 15 to let the peace of Christ live in your hearts. Our DNA allows us to be angry and upset. We can be angry about a family in a 3rd world country who doesn’t have money for food, medicines or shelter. They live on less than a dollar a day. That can bring a move on your part to help that change.

Or we can have some righteous indignation over people groups who do not have the Bible in their language. You and I probably have 2-3 Bibles in our home but it’s hard to believe some people have never heard of Jesus. So that can bring us to do something about it.

Anger can visit; it just can’t live in our hearts. Frustration can light a fire but not become our life. Letting the peace of Christ live in our hearts is the only way we will mature, grow up, have restful nights, and blossoming relationships. When we allow Jesus to rule our emotions and thoughts, we will have a better life.

What if you and I made a decision everyday to be people who are full of tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience for others? What if you and I made a decision to let go and forgive those who wrong us? What if we made a decision to be people of peace and change our circles of influence? Everyday is new. Everyday is a possibility for better. Blessings on your journey.

Forgiveness unlocks the door.

You’ve had those moments. When you did something that really hurt someone you love. Maybe as a kid, you disappointed your parents by taking something that didn’t belong to you. Or maybe you said hurtful words to your parents. Or Maybe you betrayed a trust that a spouse had in you. There are so many different ways we need forgiveness in our life.

Wrong-doing or sin in the spiritual sense is when we miss the mark of how God has called us to live. It’s when we fall short to the expectations Jesus gives us to live a life as his disciple or follower. When we act out in ways that are un-godly or unlike Jesus, we call that sin. And relationally we know there are two realities we cannot deny.

Sin separates us from God so we need forgiveness. There are things we can do that we know we should not and there are things we know to do that we don’t. Either way, when we miss the mark of how God has called us to live, it’s sin. We need forgiveness for our mistakes from our Almighty God.

Forgive means to wipe the slate clean, to pardon and to cancel a debt. And Jesus offers to clean up our mess is we surrender to his Lordship and rule in our life. So when we say “yes” to following Jesus, we are saying “yes” to a repentant life and confess to God, and others, where we have gone wrong.

Now it’s easy to give a generic “I have messed up” but at the heart of forgiveness is acknowledging how it is you have sinned. So naming your sin out loud in your prayer life is so cleansing and a release. You will feel the burden lift from you as you talk to God about the type of person you want to be. We all need Jesus. No one is “good enough” to get to heaven on their own. So we need God’s forgiveness but there is also a second reality.

Sin separates us from others so we need to forgive them for how they have hurt us along the way. Forgiving someone is the act of setting someone free. We all want forgiveness for our poor choices but when it comes to others, we become very particular. We set qualifiers in place: “If they really repent…”, “If they ask me…”, “If enough time passes…", “If they make good on what they owe me…”. There are a number of ways we make excuses of why we can’t forgive someone

In the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, Jesus says something interesting. He says, “If you forgive others, God will forgive you. If you don’t forgive others, God will not forgive you.” To the extent you will forgive is the amount you’ll be forgiven. Wow! That is tough.

But forgiveness is a process. Some of you have endured very difficult moments where offering forgiveness is needed from the drunk driver who took away a loved one to slurs about your ethnicity to hurtful words spoken by your parents. Some things definitely take longer to work through than others. What I’m saying though, as a Kingdom person, would you be willing to begin the process? Who will you begin to free today? Who will you release?

The beautiful thing about forgiveness is when you free that someone who hurt you, you become free yourself in the process! You discover that the entire time you held the key to your own prison door.

But too many times, we think revenge instead of forgiveness. But the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:17-21 that we leave the score-keeping to God. As followers of Jesus, we look at his example for us and mirror how he lived life. While Jesus hung on the cross, he asked God to forgive those who killed him. Kingdom people have a willingness to forgive.

So, may you find the courage to forgive. May you discover there’s a better way. May you unlock the door to your prison and run free. May the hurt that you’ve endured melt away in the shadow of the cross of Jesus. As Charles Spurgeon once said: “Go to Calvary to learn how you may be forgiven and then linger there to learn how to forgive others.” Blessings on your journey.

No More Chains!

You and I live in a broken world. It ain’t right. The world around us is trying to drag us down with it by telling us that we are not enough, that we are losers, that we are not loved, that we really are worthless. And too many times we believe the world.

So many of us have been diagnosed with a situation that we’ll have the rest of our lives, like my wife, who is deathly allergic to fire ant bites. In 2017 while teaching her fifth grade kids a science lesson outside, she got bitten by fire ants and then taken to the ER because her throat was closing up. She now carries an epipen. She’s stuck with that allergy for life.

We are stuck with sin too. But Jesus is the one thing that can heal us, make us right, help us regain our sense of worth.

Like the story of the healed leper in Matthew 8:1-4, we are in need of Jesus. Leprosy is a horrific disease. I’ve seen it first hand while living in Africa. If you have the disease, you’ll loose your fingers and toes, then a nose maybe your ears. It is a slow way to die. And in Jewish culture, Jesus’ culture, a leper was outside culture and society. They were banished. A leper could not interact in society, with their family…they couldn’t even go to worship. They lived outside the city far from any normalcy.

Maybe you feel like that. You feel isolated and alone, banished from a life you thought you were promised. You are caught up in a life of addiction or adultery. You’ve hurt people your whole life and lied about others to get your way. You have not been loving to your spouse and continually play the blame game. You’re an absentee parent for your children. Satan whispers in your ear that you are pathetic and you believe him.

But Jesus is the remedy for what’s going on in your life!! He can set things right again. Your mess is NOT bigger than God’s miracle. Saying “yes” to Jesus means you’re willing to let go of the script the world has given you and embrace life with Jesus, letting him lead you in every aspect of your life.

Maybe you’re like the woman in Luke 13:10-13 who had been bent over double for eighteen years. Jesus sees her, calls her over, and transforms her life forever. His healing allows the sun on her face again and now she’s looking directly into the face of the Son of God.

You and I have a habit of hanging on to our burdens. Although we’ve been forgiven, we insist keeping them on our back…all those poor decisions we’ve made along the way, bending us over and weighing us down. Jesus has told us, “Come to me all of you who are tired and worn out and I’ll give you rest.” Jesus is calling you over because he wants to take your burden and remind you that you can once more stand up straight.

And know, it will not be perfect the day after you say “yes” to Jesus. Paul, one of the most profound Christians of all time, tells us that very idea in Philippians 3:12-14. “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Following Jesus is a process that sharpens over time and a life.

Wherever you find yourself, outside community or bend over with burden, know you have a Savor in Jesus who is waiting with open arms to welcome you home. He is our remedy. He has loved us, lifted us, forgiven us, healed us, shed light upon us…He’s there for you right now! Embrace Jesus and find life to be so much more! Blessings on your journey!

Have We Discovered a Remedy Yet?

If you’re like me, you’ve had your share of taking meds. Stomach issues, headaches, body aches…we’ve all had to find the remedy for what ails us. As we work through COVID, we know eventually our scientists and engineers will discover how to defeat this crazy virus. Until then, we have been task with social distancing, washing regularly, wearing face masks, taking appropriate meds, hydrating and getting rest. But we’ve also heard the statement, “Things will never be made right again.”

Even pre-COVID, you might have heard that about a spouse who stepped out on a marriage vow or a adult child who is talking about an absentee parent or a friend who needed someone to stand up for them but found they were alone. We’ve all been in difficult places and made some poor decisions where we realized after it all, things may not be the same.

When we talk about decisions we make that go against how God has called us to live, that’s called sin. And there are moments when we make poor choices we say “I’m not sure I can come back. Things are not going to be the same. I’m too far gone for God to love me.”

But God created a way for us to come back to him through his Son, Jesus Christ. And it’s not just a select few who need Jesus as the remedy for sin. We all need Jesus. Paul reminds us of that in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard.” The beauty is, God’s created a way for us to come home. Paul goes on to say in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death but life can be had through Jesus, God’s Son.”

The story of Lazarus in John 11 reveals some things for us who are following the risen Savior. The abridged version of the story is that Jesus had a friend named Lazarus who died after he became very ill. Lazarus’ sisters sent for Jesus but he waited to go. After Lazarus died, Jesus went to the town and stood at the tomb where Lazarus had been buried four days earlier. Jesus was angry and he cried. I suppose he was angry for what sin does to us and our world. I’m imagining he cried do to the lack of faith those with him had in him. It’s an intriguing story so go read it right now.

But we learn a few things about sin in our lives and how Jesus is the remedy for that sin. No question: sin steals your life. When we get the flu, we are fatigued, sore, have respiratory issues…we just want to sit on the couch and binge Netflix. Sin takes away our desire for life. When we don’t let Jesus rule our life, we buy into the lies of Satan. Lies like “I’m an angry person and that’s just who I am” or “My family is dysfunctional so that’s all I know” or “My dad was an alcoholic so I didn’t have a chance” or “Porn doesn’t hurt my marriage”. These are the kinds of lies that we buy into which absolutely decimate our lives.

The biggest lie we listen to is the one that states, “I’m too far gone.” I’m just a bad person. God doesn’t want anything to do with me. I am beyond help and not redeemable. We tend to think our mess is bigger than God’s miracle. But we must believe God in Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins are as scarlet, I will make them as white as snow…” Jesus is our remedy.

Ultimately, sin submits to Jesus. In John 11 after the stone at Lazarus’ tomb has been rolled away. Jesus looks intently into the darkness of the tomb and says, “Lazarus, come out”. The crowd that is holding their collective breath can suddenly hear feet shuffle in the darkness. Suddenly, emerging into the light of day is the once-dead Lazarus. Even death must obey the Son of God! He’s just that powerful!

Without Jesus, the remedy, in our lives, we don’t stand a chance against Satan and sin. With Jesus, we can conquer all things. Indeed, we can overcome anything. So say “yes” to Jesus and gain the ability to come out of the darkness, releasing the burden and weight of sin. Jesus has come to give you life and life to the full. Allow Jesus to give you that life by you saying “yes” to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Blessings on the journey.