The Gift of Life: Luke 7: 11-17
The Bible records three instances where Jesus resurrected someone from the dead. One was His close friend Lazarus who had been dead four days and was already in his tomb when Jesus called Him back to life.
This story is about Jesus going into the city of Nain with His disciples followed by a crowd of people. As Jesus was approaching the gates of the city another group of people were coming out mourning and carrying a coffin of a young man. He was the only son of his mother, who was a widow. When Jesus saw her weeping He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.” Jesus approached the open coffin and touched it which caused the men who were carrying it to stop and be still. In Jewish culture, touching a dead person or a coffin was an unclean act. Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” The son sat up in the coffin and began to speak. Jesus presented him to his mother.
The book of Luke states that fear (reverence and deep respect for God) came upon the crowd and they glorified God. In the story of Lazarus, he was a close friend of Jesus. Here Jesus does not have a relationship with this widow, a stranger to Him, but He has compassion on her. She had lost her husband and now her only son. She didn’t ask for a miracle and Jesus didn’t ask her if she wanted it. He knew her pain and raised her son back to life without her asking for it, earning it, or even expecting it. It was a gift of love and compassion during her time of sorrow.
When Jesus went to the cross to pay for our sins, it was a gift of love and compassion. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life. Jesus raised the widow's son and presented him to his mother. God raised His Son, Jesus, from the dead and presented Him to us if we would receive Him as our Savior. Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly.
Life can have moments of sorrow and deep grief especially when we lose a loved one, a relationship, a marriage, a job, income, an opportunity, or even control over ourselves and our emotions. Jesus knows our pain and wants to comfort us. As a believer, we know that God has given us eternal life, but He has also given us His Word that is full of good promises. Through His Word and prayer or communication with Him, we can go through life’s trials and still find joy and peace. (John 3:16; John 10:10; James 1:2-4; Phil. 4:6-7)
Personal Development Tip of the week:
Have you ever heard the phrase “know your circle”? It refers to the peer group you surround yourself with on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis. A lot of us overlook how important our peer group is but, in reality, the quality of our life has a lot to do with the expectations of our peer group.
We rise and fall to the expectation of the people we surround ourselves with so we have to remember we get around people who want the best for us and inject faith into our lives not fear into our hearts.
Here are some important questions to consider when evaluating the people you surround yourself with.
Is there someone in your life who consistently makes you feel bad about yourself or your life?
Is there someone in your group who is constantly trying to influence you in a negative way?
Is there someone in your life who shouldn't be?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider starting to distance yourself from the person. I know this is not always the easiest thing to do at first but the people you hang out with have one of the strongest influences on your life.
Prayer for the week:
Dear Heavenly Father, I am praying over this individual's week. Thank you for a new week lord and another opportunity to grow closer to you and your calling over our lives. I pray for a blessed week, protection, and wisdom as we make decisions each day. Guide us, direct us, and lead us this week lord to have a great week in Jesus name amen!
-Dayne
PS. I just launched a brand new private free community for Christians that I would love for you to be a part of. If you would like to join us go to https://litwithprayer.com/pages/lwp-private-community
The Gift of Life